Three Little Words
by bigdave
Summary: All it takes is three little words to change the lives of everybody at Hinata Inn. Ooc and slightly AU
1. Chapter 1

Three Little Words.

Love Hina is owned by Akamatsu dono. If it is requested this story will be removed and destroyed. 

Chapter One

Three little words. That's all it takes sometimes. I hate you, sometimes said out of frustration, often said out of anger. Many times it is said to a friend or a lover but not always meant to hurt. Emotions can make a person saw things that they really don't mean to say. This is one of those times.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro was tired. He was tired of the accusations and the beatings he gets on a daily bases. If not by Naru, it comes from Motoko. Sometimes from both of them at the same time.

This time it happened to be from Naru. Motoko was practing her kendo on the laundry deck as she does every morning. Keitaro had a large load of laundry that needed to be hung out to dry. As he walked out on to the deck, he tripped over the towel that Motoko had brought with her. As he stumbled across the deck, he did not see Motoko and he fell into her causing both of them to fall down sending her sword and all the clothes everywhere. Unfortunately, he landed right on top of her pinning her to the deck.

With Motoko being caught off guard and blindsided and with the way they had landed, she couldn't move. Motoko was surprised by what had happened. She opened her eyes and saw Keitaro had caught himself just a few inches from accidentally kissing her. She, at first, wasn't sure what to do. She looked at Keitaro and the look on his face told her he was expecting to be beaten by her. That is when an enraged Naru came storming at them and proceeded to kick Keitaro off Motoko. When Naru landed her kick in Keitaro's side, Motoko heard a couple of his ribs crack, which surprised her.

Before Motoko could stop and warn her, Naru was on top of Keitaro, beating, slapping, and yelling at the top of her voice. Motoko got up and ran over to try to stop Naru before she could do any more harm to Keitaro. Motoko grabbed Naru and tried to pull her off Keitaro. When she tried, Naru held on tighter to Keitaro with her legs pushing in on his injured ribs.

The pain that Keitaro felt in his side, for the first time in his life, made him fight back against what was causing the pain. He pushed Naru hard enough to make Naru and Motoko fall to the deck and away from him. As he pushed he felt the anger rising in him and he couldn't stop his voice as he said, "I hate you."

Naru wasn't sure she heard him and yelled back "_What did you say!?" _Keitaro lifted his head and looked at Naru with a fire in his eyes and said, "I said I hate you. I'm tired of you always hitting me and beating me for no reason." With the look, that Keitaro gave Naru she knew that Keitaro wasn't joking. She just looked at him and didn't know what to say.

Keitaro then turned to Motoko and said "Thank you for trying to help me just then but you are not completely innocent either. There have been plenty of times you have hit me also for no reason. So I may not hate you Motoko but at the moment, I don't necessarily like you. Also you keep calling me a pervert but I think you girls are more perverted then I am. I've been able to hear what you girls do in the hot springs."

"Now if you will excuse me I need to go get my side looked at and do some thinking." With that Keitaro walked around Naru and Motoko and walked into the inn. Naru and Motoko just looked at each other wondering what just happened. As Naru was about to say something, Motoko said, "I tried to stop you. I felt his ribs crack when you kicked him Naru."

"What do you mean his ribs cracked?"

"I'm just stating a fact Naru. I heard and felt his ribs crack when you kicked him. Now if you will excuse me I am going to go clean up and try to figure out a way to get Keitaro to forgive me for all my transgressions."

With that, Motoko left Naru sitting on the deck by herself.

(OOOOO)

"Sempai, what was all that noise I heard a couple of minuets ago?" Shinobu asked as Keitaro walked through the living room.

"It's nothing to worry about Shinobu. It was Naru beating me up again."

"Again sempai? What does that make, five times this week?"

"Six times I think." Keitaro answered. "If you will excuse me I need to go out for a bit."

"Will you be back in time for dinner sempai?"

" I should be. I wouldn't want to miss your wonderful cooking."

Keitaro turned and put his shoes on and reaching for the door said " See you later Shinobu." He then turned and walked out the door closing it softly behind him.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro went over to his doctor's office and was lucky enough to get in with out waiting to long. The doctor confirmed that Keitaro had a couple of broken ribs, but he would be just fine in a few days. The ability of his body to heal has really come in handy while living at the inn. After leaving the doctor's office, Keitaro found himself a small coffee shop that was not very busy, letting him think about his life at the inn since he moved in. After sitting there for about an hour and forty-five minuets, Keitaro got up, paid his tab, and headed over to his friend's apartment.

Haitani answered the door and saw a depressed but determined Keitaro in front of him.

"Hey Keitaro, come on in. how are things going at the inn these days?"

"That's why I'm here Haitani. Things have gotten to the point that I think I'm going to quit being the manager and leave the inn."

"Why would you want to do that Keitaro? Why would you want to leave?"

"I'm tired Haitani. I'm tired of the beatings all the time for things I didn't do. In fact, I just came from my doctor because I have some broken ribs from Naru kicking me earlier today. Would you want to live in a place like that?"

"Well I guess not but, with all those beautiful women I think I would try to enjoy it."

"I thought I would be able to also but, with the way Naru and Motoko beat on me, I just can't take much more."

Keitaro and Haitani continued to talk for about another hour. Haitani asked what he was going to do and Keitaro told him he really didn't know.

(OOOOO)

After talking with Haitani and thinking some more about the problems. Keitaro decided that his idea was for the best and it was really the only thing to do. Keitaro arrived back at the inn just in time for dinner. As he entered the dinning room. Everybody except Naru greeted him warmly. Naru didn't say a word or even look at him. Shinobu glanced at Naru and noticed the look on her face was a look of worry and concern. _"That look can't be for Keitaro, can it?" _Shinobu wondered.

Both Naru and Motoko started to speak at the same time breaking the silence that had settled over the dinning room when Keitaro stopped them to make an announcement.

" Everybody, I have something I need to say. As I am sure, everybody by now knows that there was another problem this morning. Because of this event and other ones like it, I have decided to step down as manager for awhile and go somewhere else. I will return but I don't know when. It might be in a couple of weeks or even a couple of months."

It took a minuet for the announcement to sink in and then the questions started to fly.

"Where are you going to go?"

"When are you leaving?"

"What are you going to do?"

However, one question stood out from all of the rest.

"Is it because of me you are going to leave Keitaro?"

Even with Naru saying it in a whisper, it sounded like it was as loud as a bomb going off in the dinning room. Everybody turned and looked at Naru.

"Do I really need to answer that Naru?" Keitaro asked with just a hint of coldness in his voice. After that dinner was very quiet and short as nobody felt like eating.

(OOOOO)

Later that evening, Keitaro was in his room, packing his cloths and books he was going to take with him. As he was packing, there was a timid knock at his door. Keitaro opened his door and saw Shinobu standing in the hallway. "Hi Shinobu, do you need something?" Keitaro asked. Shinobu at first looked a little flustered and embarrassed but then she said, "Do you have a couple of minuets to talk, sempai?"

"Sure come on in Shinobu."

Shinobu saw Keitaro was packing and now knew that he was leaving for real. "Sempai, you're not leaving because of me or anything I've done are you?"

"Now what gave you that idea?" Keitaro asked. "You should know by now that you are one of the closest friends I have in this world."

"Then why are you leaving, Sempai?"

"It's a long and complicated reason Shinobu. I'll tell you about it later. I just don't want you to worry right now. I'll keep in touch with you by either by calling or writing, ok?"

"Ok Keitaro, I promise I won't worry right now. If you will excuse me I need to work on my homework for school tomorrow."

"Have a good night Shinobu." Keitaro said as Shinobu left. He then returned to the job at hand and finished packing.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro was putting the finishing touches on his packing when he heard the door to his room open and close. Without looking, he could tell it had been Naru that had come into his room. Keitaro said, "So you are going to talk to me before I leave." However, there was no response. Keitaro thought _'Must be my imagination. Naru would never come down here and try to talk me out of leaving.'_

He turned around to get another one of his reference books off his dresser and that was when he had his breath taken away. Naru had come into his room but had not made a single sound. She was kneeling on the floor, bent over at the waste, touching her forehead to the floor. Her hands were in front of her with her first three fingers touching the floor and her pinky and thumb under her hands. What got Keitaro's attention more was what she was wearing and not what she was doing.

Naru had gone to her room and changed into a formal kimono. It was a dark blue, almost purple, in color with pink Sakura blossoms starting at each shoulder and moving down and around in a swirling, twisting pattern. The Obi she had put on was a lighter color of blue, also with Sakura blossoms on it.

It had taken Keitaro a couple of minuets to realize that he had stopped breathing when he had seen Naru in that kimono and a submissive posture. Keitaro walked over and sat down in front of her and asked "Naru, what are you doing?"

With out looking up, Naru replied "Keitaro-sama, please don't leave because of me or what I have done. I'm begging you not to go.

"Naru I hav…"

"Please let me finish. I know I have done you wrong Keitaro-sama, but please, for the sake of the other girls that need you here, don't leave. I'll do anything you demand of me." As she said this she brought herself up into a kneeling position so she could see Keitaro but not be able to look him in the eyes. "Please Keitaro" She continued, "I'll do anything you want me to do. I'll clean your room, do your laundry, I'll help with the cleaning of the inn and the hotspring. Keitaro, I'll even let you make love to me and even marry you if you don't go."

As Naru said this last sentence, she started to loosen and pull open her kimono. Keitaro being the gentleman that he is reached over and stopped Naru before she exposed herself to him by pulling Naru's hands away from her kimono.

"Naru, I understand the way you are feeling right now, but I just can't stay. I will keep in touch, but I have to go for awhile." With this Keitaro got up and went to finish packing his bags.

Naru got up and opened the door to go back to her room. While in the process of walking out of his room, she whispered, "Keitaro, I'm sorry for what I did to you and I do love you." Keitaro never heard her or saw the tear that was sliding down her cheek.

(OOOOO)


	2. Chapter 2

Three Little Words

Chapter 2

Please see chapter one for disclaimer.

(OOOOO)

The next morning Keitaro's bags were already by the door when everybody was getting up to start the day. Shinobu, knowing that this would be the last day to see Keitaro for awhile, fixed the best breakfast she could.

Although Shinobu made a special breakfast, the only ones to eat that morning was herself, Keitaro, and Motoko. Naru didn't come out of her room and both Su and Kitsune was still out of town. Things at the table seemed to be a little on the tense side, until Motoko looked at Keitaro and said, "Keitaro-dono, pardon me, but I feel I need to apologize to you for what I have done in the past. I talked to my elder sister and she seems to think I have neglected a part of my training." By this time she had gotten up and was giving Keitaro a formal bow. "When you feel the time is right for you to return from your trip" Motoko continued, "I hope to find where I have gone wrong and be able to retrain myself. Please accept my apology and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Motoko sat down again before Keitaro could say what he was going to say. "Motoko, I have already forgiven you. Like I said the other day, you did try to stop Naru and I know you will find what you are missing when you are training. Please don't worry about me."

Shinobu sat through all this not really believing that Motoko just apologized and Keitaro already forgave her. Since she knows Keitaro's heart was truly in the right place, she knew Keitaro would forgive her only she didn't expect it this soon.

Shinobu then spoke up and asked Keitaro where he was going to go and what he was planing on doing on his trip?

"I'm not really sure Shinobu," he answered "but I have thought that I might end up in America and maybe even enrolling in school there."

"Whatever you decide to do sempai, I hope you will enjoy yourself."

"I'm sure I will Shinobu, but I already know I'm going to miss all of you here."

"All of us?" Shinobu asked.

"Yes, all of you. I know it doesn't make any sense but I will even miss her."

Not much else was said for the rest of the time breakfast was on the table. When everybody finished, Keitaro said, "I guess it's time for me to go." He got up from the table and walked to the front door of the inn. While putting, his shoes on Shinobu and Motoko came up to him to say their good-byes. Motoko just wished him well on his journey but Shinobu, who had decided _'this was not a time to be shy',_ walked over and put her arms around Keitaro and gave him a hug. "I'll miss you sempai." She said, then she kissed him on the cheek, turned, and ran back to the kitchen not letting anyone see the tears welling up in her eyes.

Motoko almost reacted to what she saw and just about drew her sward, but she did notice the tears starting in Shinobu's eyes. She was able to restrain herself from striking Keitaro because Shinobu's actions almost made her cry too.

"Well Motoko I guess its that time." An embarrassed Keitaro said. "Will you please keep an eye on the inn and let both Su and Kitsune know what has happened. Tell everybody that I will call later. Oh and since it seems Naru isn't coming downstairs this morning, would you be kind enough to tell her good-bye for me?"

"I'll be sure and tell them Keitaro. Please have a safe trip and we will see you when you decide it is time for you to come home."

"Thank you Motoko."

Keitaro turned and walked out the door. Motoko followed him out and watched him go down the stairs. Keitaro never did turn around for one last look, if he had, he might have seen the person up in the third story window wearing a kimono watching him leave.

(OOOOO)

Naru was standing by her window knowing it was about time for Keitaro to leave. She watched as he walked over to, and started down the staircase that led to the street. When Keitaro didn't turn around to look back at the inn, tears started sliding down Naru's cheeks again. She tried to yell out to Keitaro to stop him from going but all that came out was a whisper. When he disappeared down the stairs, she tried again but nothing came out except more sobbing and tears. It was all she could do to move back to her futon and bury her face in her pillow.

Keitaro stopped at the teahouse that his aunt Haruka runs. "Hey Keitaro, so you really are going to leave the inn?"

"Yeah Haruka, I am. At least for a little while. I'm sure I will come back but I'm don't know when. Could you do me a favor and keep watch over the inn and the tenants for me?"

"Any one in particular?"

"Well maybe Shinobu but other then that no. Everyone else can pretty much take care of themselves."

"Ok Keitaro, I'll keep an eye on everybody." _That is very harsh of you Keitaro not to have me look in on Naru. _She thought but didn't say. "Have a safe trip and keep in touch."

After Keitaro left the teahouse, Haruka thought, _"Things must have really gotten bad for Keitaro to leave."_

(OOOOO)

Naru stayed on her futon crying for about three hours. She was practically out of tears by then, but the pain she felt in her heart would not go away. While she lay in her room, she was trying to figure out what was causing the pain, but she could not come up with an answer no matter how much she tried. She decided to get up out of her futon and move around a little bit. First thing she did was change out of the kimono she was wearing and put on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Then she just walked around her room for a little while. Nothing she did helped. The pain would not go away.

Before Keitaro had left, Shinobu had run back to the kitchen, not only to clean up from breakfast, but also to think about what she had done. All the while she was cleaning up, she had an embarrassed smile on her face. Motoko, on the other hand had went out to the deck where everything had started to practice her technique.

Shinobu was sure Keitaro would come back soon. After all, she did have a promise from him that he would keep in touch. Motoko, at the same time was nothing but questions and confusion. She was having a hard time concentrating on her movements. She decided to stop for awhile and try to clear her mind of the confusion. She sat down in a corner of the deck and started to meditate. Because of her state of mind, she kept thinking about Keitaro. _"Why did you truly leave Keitaro? Was that the only path for you to take? Was the reason for your leaving because of the way Naru and I always treating you worse then you ever treated us? I guess I assumed you are a pervert because you are a man, but I could be wrong. Did I treat you poorly because I wanted you to notice me?"_

When that last question came to her, a blush formed on her face.

"_Did I really want you to notice and look at me? Is it possible that I like you? Could this be what I truly feel for you? _That is when she stopped thinking and opened her eyes to a world with a little less confusion. "Yes," she said, "I think I do like you Keitaro." It was also at that time she finally realized what her sister had been telling her while training. Tsuruko had told Motoko, that there would be some training that she would have to do on her own. There was nobody that would be able to help her when it came to her feeling for other people.

(OOOOO)

Kitsune arrived home the week after Keitaro had left. When she walked through the door, she could feel that things were not right at the inn. She wondered what had happened while she was gone. Kitsune took her bags up to her room and then went to Naru's room to see what was happening. She knocked on the door but no one answered. _"That's strange" _Kitsune wondered, "_I know I saw Naru's shoes in the entry way of the inn along with Motoko's and Shinobu's. I wonder if they are in the Hot Springs."_

Kitsune headed back to her room to get her bathing items and go join everybody in the Hot springs. When she walked outside, the only person that was out there was Motoko. _"Well, at least I can find out the latest news."_

"Hi Motoko" Kitsune said.

"Welcome home Kitsune."

"Where's everybody at?"

"Well Su is still visiting her family, Shinobu was in the kitchen, Naru is in her room, and we don't know where Keitaro is just yet."

"What did you just say about Keitaro? What do you mean by we don't know where he is and Naru is not in her room I just knocked on her door but there was no answer."

Motoko dropped her head a little bit and started to tell Kitsune everything that has happened this last week. "Keitaro did tell Shinobu that he would stay in touch but nothing as of yet and Naru has not come out of her room while we have been awake."

"I see." Was all Kitsune could say.

Shinobu comes running into the Hot Springs about this time yelling, "Hey everybody, I got a letter from Keitaro!"

Since Kitsune was just finding out about what had happened, Motoko was the one to tell Shinobu to hurry up and read it.

Shinobu sat down and dangled her feet in the water as she fumbled with the letter. After she got the letter open, she quickly scanned over it.

"Well what does it say?" Kitsune asked.

"Let see." And Shinobu started to read.

_Dear Shinobu;_

_How are you doing? I'm fine and things are ok with me. I'm here in Kyoto right now and I am going_ around_ the city to see all the sights. If you ever get the chance to visit here, you should._

_I think next week I'm going to go up to Hokkaido for awhile and then after that I'm not sure. I might go to the United States or I might go down to Okinawa. Whatever I do, I will let you know where I am._

_I hope things have calmed down at the inn now that I am gone. If you don't know what happened that day, I'll tell you about it now. _

At this point Shinobu stopped reading out-loud.

_In short, Naru saw something and took it the wrong way as she does. Also like normal, she attacked me, and I don't know why, but she broke a couple of my ribs this time. When they broke, it hurt enough I fought back and pushed her off me. Motoko did try to stop Naru, but she could not stop her._

_That is why I left the inn. I will return, but I don't know when._

_Its time I close this letter and get it sent. Say hi to everyone there for me._

_Fondly yours;_

_Keitaro_

When Shinobu read the part about Naru hurting him, Motoko and Kitsune could see she was showing signs of getting angry. Up to that point in time, Shinobu only knew that they had been fighting again but didn't know about the injury.

"Damn that bitch." Shinobu said after reading the letter. Kitsune didn't hear her but Motoko did.

"What was that Shinobu?" Motoko asked.

"Huh, oh it was nothing Motoko." But, Motoko knew better. She knew things around the inn were going to get rough as soon as Naru came out of her room.

(OOOOO)

While Naru had sequestered herself in her room, Shinobu would bring up a tray of food and leave it outside Naru's door. After Shinobu read the letter from Keitaro things were different. Motoko noticed that Shinobu didn't take a tray up to Naru so she asked if Shinobu wanted her to take one up. Shinobu's answer startled he but didn't totally surprise her either. "No Motoko, I don't want you to take one up. If that bitch wants to eat, she can come down and get it."

Motoko figured it would be best to stay on her guard that night and keep an eye on Shinobu.

About an hour and a half after dinner was cleared from the table, Naru came down the stares trying not to be noticed. Shinobu saw her and said "Oh, Naru did I forget to bring you a tray? Let's go to the kitchen and I'll get you something to eat." Naru, not knowing about the letter or Shinobu's anger, followed her eagerly, but what happened totally caught Naru off guard. Shinobu turned and calmly said "I forgot Naru, I have something for you." Shinobu then in a flash slapped Naru across the left side of her face hard enough to put her on the floor.

"That's what you deserve, you bitch, for making sempai leave! If you want something to eat, make it yourself, but stay out of my kitchen!"

Shinobu turned and walked back to the living room leaving a stunned Naru still sitting on the floor. Motoko, having heard the crash and the yelling, came running into the dinning room just as Shinobu was leaving.

Motoko tried to stop and talk to Shinobu, but all she got out of her was "I should do the same to you, Motoko, but Keitaro did say in his letter that you did try and help him." Motoko just let Shinobu go and turned to find Naru on the floor holding her left hand on the side of her face. Naru looked up at Motoko and the tears started to run down her cheeks again.

"Why, Motoko? Why did Shinobu hit me? Asked Naru.

"Shinobu received a letter from Keitaro today explaining what happened the day he decided to leave. Up to now, she didn't know about Keitaro's injuries."

"Did he say where he is?"

"Yes he did Naru, but he was going to go someplace else tomorrow if I remember correctly."

"I still need to find him Motoko and get him to come back to us."

"It would not do you any good Naru. He did say he might be going to America. If he does, you would not be able to find him."

"But I need to try Motoko."

"You can't Naru. You can't do much of anything right now. None of us can. Not until Keitaro stays in one place long enough so one of us could go get him."

Motoko helped Naru up off the floor. Naru was still in shock by the slap from Shinobu. "Do you know if he said anything about me in that letter to Shinobu?" Naru asked.

"No, I don't think he did. He did tell Shinobu to say hi to all of us, so that might be a good sign. He might be starting to forgive us."

"Maybe he is Motoko."

Even with that small amount of hope, Naru was still having a hard time cheering up. Her doubts would plague her even into her dreams at night. Some nights she would wake up with tears in her eyes and know that they were for Keitaro and what she had done to him.

(OOOOO)

Now for some notes from me.

First thank you to everybody that has looked at this story and especially to the ones that have reviewed.

Second, I know the characters are Ooc. Nevertheless, here is my thinking and time line. I am putting this story right around book nine of the manga. The only change that I have in mind is that Keitaro has not entered TU just yet and the Kyoto arc doesn't happen. Motoko figures out she is in love with Keitaro without spending a lot of time with him.

As for Naru. I feel, even in the manga, Naru is the type of person that needs attention. She doesn't need to be the center of attention, but she does need someone to pay attention to her. She found that someone to be Keitaro. Now, after one to two years of attention from Keitaro, even to the point that he tells her that he loves her, to all of a sudden he looks at her and say's "I hate you". That is her first shock. The second shock to hit her is Keitaro announcing that he is leaving.

Naru will no longer have the attention she needs, so out of desperation she goes to him and even goes as far as to offer herself to him. Now Naru knowing Keitaro truly is not the type of guy to take advantage of a girl like that hopes he will change his mind and stay just because she did offer her body to him. Naru is taking a chance but it doesn't pay off, Keitaro still leaves, plunging Naru into depression.

As for Shinobu being really Ooc, I thought what would push her over the edge. Naru hurting her sempai bad would push her over the edge.

Enough said.

Bigdave


	3. Chapter 3

Three Little Words

Chapter 3

Disclaimer; see chapter 1

Shinobu would receive a letter from Keitaro about every week letting her, and everybody else, know what he was doing. He had told Shinobu about Hokkaido and he wide-open spaces there. He had spent about three weeks in Hokkaido when he decided to move on. Keitaro let Shinobu know he was taking a ship to Alaska first and then he would go on down into the rest of the United States.

While Keitaro was at the beginning of his trip, the residents of the inn were starting to go on with their lives. The changes that had started with Keitaro's leaving continued. Shinobu still did the cooking but she would say very little to Naru and Motoko. When she would talk to Naru, the words came out as if they had been in a freezer. When talking to Motoko, she was still cold but not as cold as she is to Naru.

Su had called to the inn to let everybody know she was coming home and when. Kitsune had answered the phone when she called and told Su about the fight and Keitaro leaving. That was the moment Su decided to not go back to the inn. If her big brother wasn't there, then she wouldn't have anybody to play with. Kitsune did tell Su that, as soon as Keitaro came back she would call her.

Kitsune changed in a way that was not expected. She had stopped getting drunk every night. She still drank a little bit but not as much as, she did before Keitaro left. Keitaro's leaving had made her realize that life wasn't just a big party. Along with her freelance writing job, Kitsune started to work part time for Haruka in the teahouse. Haruka enjoyed having Kitsune work with her. The customers liked the way Kitsune could hold a conversation. A few of them had also made remarks to Haruka that having Kitsune there was almost like having a Geisha working for her. After Haruka told this to Kitsune, she started to enjoy working there even more.

Motoko's changes came mostly in the way she trained. She still did her morning practice with her sward and her meditating. She also added in observing people in the afternoons. Motoko would after school, stop by one of the many parks in town, sit on a bench, and watch how couples would interact with each other. She saw how many couples would walk together holding hands or how they would set down on benches and just be near each other. Slowly she was starting to realize what it meant to be a couple and to love somebody. The one think that kept making her wonder about herself and her feelings was the fact she really didn't know how Keitaro feels.

Naru was the one that changed the most. She stayed secluded in her room not coming out much at all. She skipped classes at school for the first two weeks after Keitaro left. When she did go back, all her teachers were reprimanding her for missing with out a good reason. After that semester ended two months later, Naru for the first time in her life had some failing grades.

When the next semester started, she decided to cut back on classes and get a part time job. Naru found a small bookstore that was between Hinata and school. The owner of the store was just putting a help wanted sign in the window. On impulse Naru walked in and inquired about the job. The owner informed her the job was to help with putting up stock and running the register in the afternoons and nights until close.

Naru thought about it for a couple of minutes. _This job would be perfect. With her classes and being able to work here she wouldn't be in anybody's way at the inn.' _"I would like to apply for the job." Naru said to the owner.

The owner looked at her and said, "I think you would be perfect for the position. It might also help sales with you being so pretty."

What the owner of the bookstore just said made Naru blush but she replied "Thank you for allowing me to work for you but I don't think my looks will help with sales." Naru's self doubts were starting to show itself to the world.

"W hen do you think you could start working?"

"If it is ok with you I can start tomorrow afternoon."

"All right, that would be fine. I'll see you then."

"Ok, thank you." And Naru left to go home to her room in the room.

(OOOOO)

In the time everybody started to move on with their lives and deal with the changes, Keitaro was starting to have the time of his life. After leaving Hokkaido, he flew to Anchorage Alaska and spent a week looking around. After spending a week there, Keitaro flew down to San Francisco. He had a taxi take him to the downtown area and drop him off. Keitaro walked around looking at the sights. After getting something to eat at a deli, he had another taxi take him to the beach. The taxi driver took him to a beach outside a small town called Pacifica. Keitaro walked down to the beach and sat down for a little while. While sitting there, he decided to stay around the area for awhile.

Keitaro found a small apartment that he was able to rent on a monthly biases. After he found a place to live, he went looking for a job.

The job Keitaro found was perfect for him. With all the experience he had gotten from working on the inn, he was able to get a position working at a company that did home-repair and worked on small fishing boats. Keitaro was put to work repairing the fishing boats and doing general help around the shop. The work wasn't always easy but Keitaro always did a good job.

Keitaro found that he really liked this type of work. At the end of the day he could stand back and see what he had accomplished. It gave him a very satisfying feeling being able to work with his hands. Unfortunately he was starting to miss being at home in the inn and all the things that would happen. He was also starting to think that he should not have said what he did to Naru.

(OOOOO)

The fight on the deck was in his dreams almost every night. Sometimes it would end as it did in real life. Sometimes the ending would be different. More then once his dreams ended with him opening his eyes and see Motoko looking up at him. With out saying a word, she would pull him closer to her. She would then close her eyes and bring her lips up to meet his in a soft passionate kiss that would send electricity racing through him. Motoko would then pull her lips away from his and look at him with a sparkle in her eyes. She would then whisper to Keitaro "Please Keitaro…" and Keitaro would wake up from his dreams in a cold sweat.

Keitaro, after awaking from his dreams of Motoko, would then get up from his bed and pace around his room. At the same time, he would wonder why he would dream about Motoko in that manner. After one night in which he dreamed about both Naru and Motoko he just could not go back to sleep. When he got to work that morning, his boss noticed that Keitaro wasn't up to par that day. After being on the job for about an hour, Keitaro was called to the office by his boss.

Keitaro wondered what was up. He knew he hadn't done anything to make the boss mad at him so with a little trepidation Keitaro knocked on the door. "You wanted to see me Mr. Byrd?" Keitaro asked after he was waved into the office.

"Have a seat, Keitaro. I just need to talk to you for a couple of minuets. Keitaro, it seems like something is bothering you this morning. You don't have any problems here at work do you?"

"No sir. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Keitaro answered, but can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Ok…I was wondering how would you handle things if you had gotten into a fight with a girl that you really liked?"

"Well Keitaro, that's a tough thing to say without knowing all the details. If you don't want to tell me that's ok."

"I don't mind telling you what happened." And Keitaro started to tell his boss, John Byrd, what had happened back in Japan. John was at first a little dumbfounded by the fact that Naru had broke Keitaro's ribs and Keitaro was acting like it was nothing. John sat back and thought for a moment. "Well Keitaro, it looks like you have some choices to make. You can keep running and regret what you said for the rest of your life or you can go back home and say you are sorry for what you said. I know it may sound dumb but when you get right down to it that is the two choices you have."

"I see. Well at least that gives me something to think about."

"Keitaro why don't you go ahead and take the rest of the day off? Looks like you could use it."

"I really couldn't do that to you. I have a lot of work to do on that boat that came in yesterday."

"It can wait until Monday. Go ahead and take off and get some rest Keitaro."

"Ok I guess I will. I do need some sleep."

"See you on Monday Keitaro.

Keitaro got up and left Mr. Byrd's office. He stopped by his work area to put away his tools and to pick up his coat and lunch. A couple of the other people that worked there stopped and asked what happened or asked if he was fired. He told them that John had told him to take the day off because it looked like he didn't feel well. The other employees said that John Byrd was good about that. If you came to work all the time and did your job, he would take care of you.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro went back to his apartment and lay back down. After trying to go back to sleep for about an hour, Keitaro gave up. He got up, went into the living room, sat down for a moment, reached over, picked up his pad of paper and pen, and started another letter to Shinobu. He wrote a lot in this letter telling her about the job he was doing and the people he was meeting. As he wrote, he also thought about his dreams. Keitaro decided to ask how everybody was. He specifically for once asked about both Naru and Motoko. He didn't tell Shinobu about the dreams he was having but he wrote about the regret he was starting to feel for what he had said. When Keitaro finished this update to Shinobu he put in his address, so Shinobu could write back to him if she wanted to.

Keitaro walked down to the post office and mailed his letter to Shinobu. Afterwards he just walked around town since he didn't have anything he needed to do. He really wasn't thinking about much as he got closer to his apartment but it felt as if he needed to go in a certain direction. When he turned the corner, he found himself in front of a bar he hadn't noticed before. "Club Venus" Keitaro said to himself. _I wonder what this place is like._ He thought. Keitaro stood there for a couple of minuets thinking about weather or not to go in.

'_Well I don't have anything better to do so I might as well go on in.' _Keitaro thought as he reached for the handle on the door. While walking in he looked around to see what this place was like and fate was not only smiling but was also starting to have a good laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

Three Little Words

Chapter Four

See chapter one for disclaimer.

The entryway of the bar had white marble on the floor. To the left was a cubbyhole where the doorman was setting. To the right was a row of payphones. Also to the left was a doorway into the bar itself. When Keitaro walked through the doorway into the bar, he looked around to see what type of place this was. The bar wasn't a big place but he felt like it had a nice atmosphere. To his left was a long couch that ran along the wall with small round tables in front of it. To the right was the bar itself. In the center of the room was an elevated stage with brass poles on either end. In the back were two pool tables. What made Keitaro smile and blush at the same time was what was going on in there. There was a girl up on the dance floor with very little on, and as Keitaro looked around, he counted five other girls that were dressed in next to nothing. Yes Keitaro realized he lived just around the corner from a strip club.

Keitaro sat down and the waitress came up and took his order. "Just a coke for now." That's all Keitaro wanted. He wasn't in the mood for a beer or anything harder.

The waitress brought him his drink and Keitaro sat back and was enjoying himself when he noticed one of the girls at the bar. She had gotten up from her seat and was walking in his direction. The thing he noticed about her was her long hair. It was dark brown and reached to the lower area of her back. It reminded Keitaro how Naru's hair looked. She was dressed in a one-piece mini dress that was black. She also had on black platform shoes and black hose. Keitaro reached down and picked up his drink not really paying any attention to where she was going. While Keitaro was taking a drink, this girl walked up and sat down right next to him. This surprised him a little bit.

"Hi. My name is Christina, what is your name."

"It's Keitaro. Nice to meet you." He stammered.

"Do you come in here very often?" She asked.

"No, this is my first time in here." Keitaro said.

"This is a nice place. I've been working here about six days. In fact today is my sixth day."

"What made you decide to do this type of work?"

"I don't know. I have some friends that do this and they said I would be good at it. So I thought I would try it out."

"Do you like to dance like this?"

"It's not a bad job, but you do have to put up with some strange people sometimes. That's the one thing I don't like. Will you excuse me; it's time for me to go up.

"Sure thing."

Christina got up and walked over to the elevated stage. When she started to walk up the steps, Keitaro noticed that she had a very cute ass. The music started to play and she went into her dance moves. Keitaro sat back and watched how she moved. He didn't notice it yet but deep inside of him was the word wow working it's way out.

When she started her second song, she removed what she was wearing exposing her breast. Keitaro found himself checking to see how many dollars he had and walked over to the chairs around the stage and took a seat.

Christina saw him sitting at the stage so she worked her way over to him. Even with them being in a bar, she decided to put everything she could into her dance for him. The way she was moving was keeping Keitaro entranced to the point that he even forgot to breathe for a minute. As the song finished Christina was kneeling in front of Keitaro and she put her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

Keitaro was caught totally off guard by the way Christina was acting. He had never had a girl, any girl, ever give him a kiss. He could tell that this girl was special.

Christina came off the stage and Keitaro went back to where he had been sitting before. She came up to him and asked if he was going to stay for awhile. Keitaro said he would stay a little while longer. ""Good." She replied. "I need to go freshen up a little bit. I'll be right back." Keitaro watched Christina walk towards the dressing room and found he was attracted to the way her ass moved as she walked.

After spending around two hours talking to Christina, Keitaro decided he needed to leave and get some other things done. When he got up to leave, Christina stopped him and gave him a hug before he left. "It was nice meeting you." She said. "I hope you come in again."

"I'll come in again soon because I ha a really nice time talking to you." Replied Keitaro. Then he turned and left the bar. Keitaro was walking to the grocery store to get something for dinner but his mind kept drifting back to the girl he just met.

(OOOOO)

Work at the bookstore was keeping Naru busy everyday. Her day normally started at six when she would get up and get dressed. The clothing she would put on now was not very flattering to her looks. She was trying to keep other peoples attention from her. After dressing, she would go down and see if she could get some sort of breakfast and try to put together a lunch. If Shinobu were up Naru would skip eating and she would buy her lunch on the way to school. The relationship between herself and Shinobu was still strained.

Naru would go to class everyday and depending on what time her classes ended each day dictated how she would fill her time. On the days she got out of class early or didn't have a class in the afternoon, she would either go and study in a near by park or go to the school library. She would keep an eye on the time because her job at the bookstore started at five p.m.

Naru would arrive at the store at five or a little before five. She would put her school books and coat away, grab her apron and go see what books came in that needed to be put on the shelves. The owner of the store, Hero Watanabe, was pleased with the way Naru worked but he was also concerned. He was concerned because Naru wouldn't take a lunch break while at work. He tried to get her to stop and get something to eat but Naru usually told him that she had eaten before coming to work. Naru would take a couple of ten minuet breaks just to sit and rest her feet though.

The store would close at ten p.m. and Naru would work until closing time. After she helped Hero close up for the night, she would go home to the inn. Naru would arrive home between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m. taking care not to awaken anybody when she came in. She would go to her room to put her stuff away and gather her night cloths and head down to the Hot Springs to get a bath. She would try to avoid the other tenants if she could. Normally the only people that would be up at that time would be Kitsune or Motoko.

With Kitsune working for Haruka, she was spending more time away from the inn now. She still went out drinking on Saturday nights but she wouldn't come home drunk as she did in the past. Whenever she could, Kitsune would also help around the inn. She started to help Shinobu with the cleaning.

Motoko meanwhile started to act like the manager of the inn with Haurka's approval. She would collect the rent and make sure repairs were being done.

Shinobu's workload was getting lighter with Kitsune helping her now. At least she didn't have to clean the Hot Springs since Kitsune said she would do that. Shinobu's highlight of each week was when Keitaro would send a letter. She felt like he was still there at the inn when she would read what he had written. Keitaro would write about his job and what he was seeing and doing in Pacifica. He told her that he was going to stay where he was at for a little while longer. Life had become stable for everyone for right now, but some things were to change soon.

(OOOOO)

AN: Thank you for the reviews and to everybody that has not reviewed this work. I know this is a short chapter but the way I have this story written this looked like a good place to stop.


	5. Chapter 5

Three Little Words.

Chapter 5

(OOOOO)

As the weeks went by Keitaro found himself returning to the bar every Friday or Saturday afternoon to see Christina, he found that he was really enjoying her company. One thing he did while he was with her one day was compare Christina to Naru. He found that they had some things in common but in other ways, they were different. They were mostly alike in physical features namely hair styles and eye color but the way Christina acted was totally opposite from Naru. Keitaro found this out one day when, while they were together he accidentally grabbed her breast. When that happened he started to apologize to Christina and prepared himself to be hit. Instead, he felt her hands touch his face softly and she asked why he was acting like he was. Keitaro wasn't sure what to do. If this had happened with Naru, she would have sent him into orbit. Christina instead was asking him what was wrong.

Keitaro explained to Christina about Naru and what she did to him and how she had finally hurt him. What Christina did after Keitaro told her what his life had been like before meeting her surprised him more then what he thought he could ever be. Christina took his hand into hers and placed his hand on her chest between her breast. At the same time she did this she looked at him and said "If I didn't want you to touch me I would have said so by now." Then she moved towards Keitaro and gently kissed him. Keitaro felt like he had died and went to heaven. He then decided he hadn't died but he was sitting with an angel.

Keitaro decided to try something he hadn't done before. He had wanted to with Naru but he never found the right time to ask. He turned to Christina and asked her, "Would you like to go out to dinner with me someday?"

"I never thought you would ask. I would love to. How about tonight? I get off work at seven p.m.

"Ok, I'll be back to get you. Since I'm still new to the area I hope you know of a good restaurant close by."

"I sure do. It's a small place but I like it."

"Ok, I'll be back at seven to get you."

"I'll be waiting."

(OOOOO)

Keitaro arrived back at the bar a few minuets before seven. He walked in and took a seat at the first table he saw that was open. Looking around the room, he didn't see Christina anywhere. The waitress came over and asked if he wanted any thing to drink. "Just a coke." He said. When the waitress came back with his drink, she said, "Christina will be out in a moment. She's in the back getting dressed.

"Thank you" replied Keitaro.

When Christina came out from the dressing room, Keitaro saw her and was astonished. She had on a light blue button down denim shirt, a pair of blue jeans that fit her just right and a pair of white sneakers. Christina saw where Keitaro was sitting and walked over to where he was. When she got their she asked him what was wrong because he was staring at her. "Nothing is wrong, you just look amazing." Replied Keitaro.

"How sweet of you." She said and she bent down and kissed Keitaro on the cheek causing him to blush.

"Are you ready to go?" Asked Christina.

"Yeah, lets go."

Keitaro and Christina left the bar and started walking to the restaurant that Christina had suggested. While they walked down the street, Christina put her hand into his causing Keitaro to blush again. Christina noticed this and said, "You are so cute when you blush like that." Keitaro was able to stutter out a thank you just before Christina kissed him again.

(OOOOO)

Naru was starting to have problems of her own. Hero, the bookstore owner, was right. With Naru working there, more and more people started to come into the store. Sales started to go up all because of Naru but she wouldn't admit to that.

Every night Naru worked she had at least three guys come up and ask her if she would like to go out. Sometimes she had up to seven or eight asking. Naru was coming home not only tired from school and work but also tired from fending off these men.

One thing Naru didn't notice was that there was one person that always came into the store every other day. He usually would look around trying not to be noticed because he was always staring at Naru. He would follow Naru around the store but always at a distance. Naru never noticed him but Hero did.

Hero started to watch this guy after he saw him following Naru around. Since he wasn't doing anything but looking, Hero couldn't tell this guy to leave. Hero still kept his eyes open though. Hero also had a talk with Naru about being careful where ever she went. Hero knew she would walk home after work every night and he worried about her, especially after noticing that creepy guy watching her.

After Hero talked to her, Naru did start to notice there was more people coming into the store. She also saw that some of the guys would stare and look at her, but she didn't care anymore. After what she had done to Keitaro, she felt like if something bad would happen to her she would deserves it for punishment.

When Naru would leave work, she would always walk home. The fastest way home wasn't the safest way because she would have to walk past some dark alleys. Most of the time she would walk out by the street trying to stay close to the street lamps. So far nobody has approached her or made any moves towards her. There has been a couple of times when a drunk business man has been going down the same street but nothing has happened as of yet.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro and Christina arrived at the restaurant where they were to eat that night. It was a charming little place that had a very homey feel to it. The restaurant was located in an old Victorian house. The people that owned and ran this place lived on the second floor while the restaurant was on the ground floor.

Christina explained all this to Keitaro after they had been seated. Keitaro gave her a look of '_how do you know all of this?'_ Before Keitaro could ask, Christina told him that she had worked here for a little while when she first arrived in Pacifica.

Christina continued to tell Keitaro about her self. She told him that she had been born in a small town in Indiana. She also told him how she grew up without a father in her life because as soon as her mom had told the man that was her father, he took of for places unknown with no forwarding address. She did have a stepfather but it just wasn't the same as having a father around, which Keitaro agreed with. She told Keitaro about growing up without any friends. Her mother had provided everything she could for Christina and her younger sister.

The waitress came and took their order for dinner. An uneasy quite fell between them for a couple of minuets before Keitaro spoke up and asked Christina how she ended up in Pacifica as a dancer.

"It's a long story." She said.

"I have the time."

"It all started when I met this one guy back home. I fell deeply in love with him and I thought he loved me. My mom didn't like him and I thought over time she would be ok with him being around. My mom and I got into an argument one night when she was warning me about him."

"What was she warning you about?" Keitaro asked.

"She started to tell me that she saw him with another girl and the way he would get angry sometimes, she was afraid that he was going to hit me and beat me."

"Sounds like the girls in the dorm I was managing back home."

"Anyway, I stopped talking to my mom after that and three weeks later I came home from work early just to find him in bed with someone else."

At this point Christina put her head down as a couple of tears came sliding down her cheek. Keitaro looked at her and felt nothing but sympathy for her. Although Keitaro wasn't sure what to do, he knew he had to do something. He reached over, took hold of Christina's hand, and told her she didn't have to tell him anymore.

"But I need to. I need to tell somebody. I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't. After what you told me about your life, you might understand what I'm feeling."

All Keitaro could do was nod his head in agreement. Christina continued with her story. "I walked in on who I thought was my boyfriend and the girl he was with. I couldn't say anything I was so shocked at what I saw. All I could do was turn around and walk out of the house. I don't even know if they saw me or not. I walked back outside and got in my car and I left. I didn't know where I was going or what I was going to do. All I knew was I needed to get away. It seemed like I drove forever and when I stopped I was at a motel in St. Louis."

"I stayed the night and thought about things. The next morning before I left the motel I called my mother and left a message telling her I was ok and I would let her know where I am. I also told her she was right about the guy I was with."

Keitaro could tell by the way she was talking that she was hurting inside and she needed to let it out. Keitaro throughout dinner just listened to her story without saying a word.

Christina finished telling her story by the time dessert was brought by the waitress. "I have let my mom know where I am at but she doesn't have my address or phone number. I use a pay phone and a calling card to call and let her know that I am ok."

When she finished Keitaro asked her, "are you going to go back home someday?"

Christina stopped and thought about that question for a minute. When she did answer, she said, "I'm sure I will go back home but I don't know when."

Keitaro knew it was time to change the subject and asked Christina what she would like to do after dinner. "It's such a nice evening why don't we just walk around for a little bit?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me. A walk after a meal like we just had would be perfect." Answered Keitaro.

"You ready to go then?"

"Yes Christina, lets go for that walk."

Christina and Keitaro got up, gathered their things, and left the restaurant. Christina, when they started to walk down the sidewalk reached over and took hold of Keitaro's hand. Keitaro knew then that this was turning into a wonderful evening.

(OOOOO)

a/n; just a quick note. One of my reviewers noted that I should use a spell checker. I would like my readers to know I am using a spell checker that came with word. It does catch most of my mistakes but not all of them so I apologize for any errors that get through. If anybody knows of a real good stand alone spell checker please let me know and I will get it. I can use all the help I can get. Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

Three Little Words

Chapter six

Nope, sorry, it's not me. I don't own Love Hina but if asked I will remove all traces of this story from the Internet and my computer.

(OOOOO)

Things at the Hinata Inn are still a little tense. Shinobu still will not talk to Naru unless she has to. Motoko has been staying to herself more then she was before Keitaro left. When asked about it, all she would say was that she had a lot to think about and a lot of training to do. Su was still in Mol Mol refusing to come back to the Inn until Keitaro comes back home. Kitsune is still working for Haruka at the teahouse and writing but her stories have not been selling lately. Naru was working and going to school but when she was at the Inn, she hid in her room some of the time. Naru had been coming out for a little longer each day although she had a long way to go before she would be back to her old self.

Naru would still avoid Shinobu as much as possible because that slap she got from Shinobu did a lot more damage to Naru's mental state then physical body. Naru was helping around the Inn a lot more. She started by helping Kitsune with cleaning the Hot Springs. After that, she would clean the toilets and any other place that nobody would want to. Naru felt it was her job to do the cleaning that was the worst jobs to do.

Kitsune was trying her best to get Naru out of her depression. She knew it was a good thing that Naru was working and going to school. At the least, Naru wasn't hiding in her room all the time like she did at first. The thing that Kitsune didn't know was the farther Naru was going into depression the more danger she was putting herself into.

Naru wasn't thinking about school a lot. She was more concerned with thoughts of Keitaro. She was always wondering if Keitaro was thinking about her and if he was going to come home. The more Naru thought about Keitaro the less she paid attention to the things going on around her. Both Kitsune and Hero warned her, but Naru wouldn't watch around her for people that would or could hurt her.

Hero had noticed that the one creepy guy that had been coming into the store and following Naru around hadn't been in for a few days. He thought that the creepy guy had given up and was stalking somebody else until Hero saw that guy standing on the sidewalk on the other side of the street watching Naru through the windows. Hero went over to where Naru was and told her again to be careful. Her reply to that was she wasn't worried about things like that. To herself she said it would be divine punishment for what she has done and that she deserved it.

(OOOOO)

Naru had tried to talk to Shinobu a couple of times to see if Keitaro had said in any of his letters when he would be coming home. She also asked if Keitaro had mentioned if he was thinking about her. All Shinobu would reply was "What does it matter to you bitch. You were the one that made him go away."

Most of the time all Naru would do is just turn around and walk away after Shinobu would say that, but this one time something in Naru just gave away. She fell to her knees and started crying again. Shinobu turned around and looked at Naru on the floor. Naru looked up at Shinobu and said "Your right Shinobu, it is my fault. It's my entire fault that Keitaro went away from us. If I hadn't done what I did or treated him like I did he wouldn't have left." Naru dropped her head back towards the floor and let the tears fall.

Although Shinobu was starting to feel some sympathy towards Naru, she was still carrying her anger. She knelt down in front of Naru, lifted her chin up so she could see her eyes and said "Maybe you might now know how Keitaro has felt after you beat him up. Don't look for any sympathy from me, I'm not like Keitaro. I can't just forgive you as he did all the time. At least not yet.

Shinobu got up from a crying Naru and walked up the staircase to go to her room. She was still mad at Naru but she was starting to fell some pity for her. She knew that deep inside, they all were still hurting, but Naru's hurt ran deeper then what the rest of them were feeling.

Naru was still on the floor when Motoko walked into the room. Motoko looked at Naru and wondered what was going on with her when she noticed that Naru was crying again. Motoko sat down next to Naru and asked, "What is the matter Naru? Did Shinobu strike you again?"

Naru looked at Motoko and shook her head no.

"Then what is the matter?"

"It's just I realized that everything is my fault. Because of me Keitaro has went away, Shinobu is mad at me and I don't know what to do anymore." Naru answered as her tears started to flow again.

About that time, Naru remembered that she hadn't seen Motoko for about a week. "Where have you been, Motoko?" She asked.

Ever since the fight, I have been thinking about what Keitaro said. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed to train. For this last three days I have been in Kyoto talking and training with my sister."

"What was your sister able to tell you?"

"She told me there are all different types of people in the world. Both men and women. She told me, there are people who are strong physically but who will fall at the slightest problem. There are also people who are not physically strong but they will stand up to the strongest challenges put before them. The last thing she told me before I left to return here is that from what she observed while she was here was that Keitaro is the type of person that is kind and gentle but will stand up to any challenge even when it looks like he is running away. The last thing she told me was even though I am very good with my sword, I need to work on the way I interact and observe people."

"How are you going to do that, Motoko?"

"I have already started my training. I have been going to parks and other public places to watch how people interact with each other."

Naru, by this time, saw that she had totally misjudged Keitaro. She could also tell that Motoko was putting together some sort of plan for when Keitaro comes home. She just didn't know how far Motoko was going to go to try to redeem herself with Keitaro.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro and Christina walked down the street in the falling night. The night was perfect for a walk, not to warm, not to cool. While they walked neither one said much of anything. They were just enjoying each other's company.

They turned down a side street that would take them to a park that over looked the ocean. It was a small park but very well kept. Many couples often visited this park in the early evenings. Keitaro sat down with his back against a tree with Christina sitting between his legs laying her head on his chest. They sat there enjoying the cool breeze coming in off the ocean. As the sun was going down, the sky was turning from a fiery red to a deep dark blue. The stars that were showing up in the night sky were sparkling like diamonds.

_'This is almost a perfect date. If only I was with Naru, it would be. What the hell. Why would I think of Naru just now? I'm with Christina, why would I think of her. Maybe she's thinking about me right now.'_

"Keitaro."

_'Maybe I should call them to see if everything is all right.'_

"Keitaro."

_'Maybe I should start thinking about going home to the Inn.'_

"KEITARO!"

"Huh…what?"

"I asked you a question Keitaro and you didn't answer. I thought something was wrong."

"No, nothing is wrong. I was just doing some thinking."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing really, so don't worry about it, ok?"

"Ok."

"Hey Keitaro?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about going home? You did ask me about going home and I wondered if you had thought about it."

"No, not really. I know I should be going back home to Hinata, but I don't know if the girls that live in the dorm would accept me as the manger again."

"If the person that I have gotten to know is the real Keitaro, then they would accept you back with open arms."

"Thanks, I know at least a couple of them would accept me again."

"Hey Keitaro, I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"I know of a little coffee shop that's not far from here. They have wonderful coffee and cakes. Lets go get some and go back to your place."

"You wouldn't want to go to my place. I don't have anything to do there but listen to the radio. I haven't bought a TV and DVD player yet."

"That's ok Keitaro. All I want to do is be with you."

"Well ok then. I guess we can do that. Lets go."

Keitaro and Christina headed for the coffee shop. When they got there, both of them ordered coffee and Christina ordered the crumb cake for them. The person that gave them their order smiled to herself thinking that Keitaro and Christina looked like the perfect couple.

When they got to Keitaro's apartment, he went into the kitchen and got some plates, coffee cups, and silverware for the both of them. Christina did the honor of serving the cake and coffee. Keitaro had to agree with what Christina had said after taking a bite of the cake. It was wonderful.

They sat on the couch eating and drinking not saying anything. Christina happened to finish first. She placed her plate and fork on the table while Keitaro finished. Christina took his plate and fork, picked hers up, and took them to the kitchen. When she came back into the living room she walked over to Keitaro and sat down on his lap. "What are you doing?" A shocked Keitaro asked. "Shush." Is all Christina said right before she started to kiss him. Christina didn't just kiss Keitaro; she also took his arms and put them around her back. She then placed her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to herself.

After a couple of minutes of this they pulled apart and looked at each other with anticipation. Christina pulled Keitaro into a deeper kiss, both of them lingering on the movements and the sweetness of each other.

Christina knew what she was doing was the right thing to do. She also knew in the end that it was going to hurt Keitaro. While they were sharing that deeper kiss, she took her hands and undid the buttons on her shirt without Keitaro noticing. Christina pulled back, took a hold of Keitaro's left hand, and whispered into his ear; "Please make love to me tonight." At the same time she said this, she placed his hand on her breast.

Keitaro, still in bliss from the kiss he had gotten from Christina, at first didn't realize where his hand was put. When she asked him to make love to her, that brought him back to real life but it didn't matter. Keitaro knew what he wanted to do. He took her by the hand and both of them got up from the couch. He took her into his arms and kissed her again before leading her to the bedroom.

(OOOOO)


	7. Chapter 7

Three Little Words.

Chapter 7

See chapter one for disclaimer.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro awoke around three A.M. to the sounds of someone moving around in his room. Christina noticed Keitaro had woken up so she walked back over to the bed, bent over and gave him a small kiss. "It's just me Keitaro." Christina said, "I had to go to the bathroom, so go on back to sleep."

"Ok." Replied Keitaro.

What Keitaro didn't realize in his half awake state was Christina was fully dressed. She walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She went into the kitchen and turned on the light above the stove. Looking around until she found a pad of paper and a pen, she begin to write a letter.

_My dearest Keitaro;_

_I want to thank you for not only the time we have spent together but also for tonight. Tonight was the first time in a long time I have felt like I am loved._

_Earlier you had asked me if I had ever thought about going home. To tell the truth, I have. After talking to you tonight and telling you everything, it made me realize that I want to see my mom again._

_I am leaving to go back home but please don't come looking for me. I'll be all right and you need to go back home yourself. The way you talk you think they don't need you. I think you are wrong. I think they need you very much._

_You are such a wonderful person Keitaro, I'm glad I got to know you. Thank you Keitaro for being with me._

_Love Christina._

When she was finished with the letter, she folded it over and put Keitaro's name on the outside. Christina then put the letter on the kitchen table where Keitaro would be able to find it with no problem. She then went and put on her shoes and coat, opened the door, turned around looking in the direction of the bedroom and whispered, "Goodbye Keitaro. I love you but I need to go." Christina turned and walked out of Keitaro's apartment closing the door behind her. Keitaro slept on with a contented smile on his lips.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro woke up about nine a.m. expecting Christina still beside him. He turned over and found that he was the only person in his bed. He got up and pulled on a pair of gym shorts thinking that she might be taking a shower. Walking into the hall, he could see the door to the bathroom was open. As he walked past he could tell nobody had been in there since last night. Thinking that she might be in the kitchen instead, he headed in that direction. He could tell even before he went in that nobody was in there either. Keitaro than knew he was alone in his apartment. He looked around to see if she had left a note telling him where she might be when he saw the folded paper on the table.

He picked up the note expecting it to say that she would be back in a few minutes. As Keitaro read the note, his emotions were going crazy. From pain to sorrow to angry and finally feeling like, he was betrayed. Keitaro had to sit down from the shock of Christina telling him that she had left without saying goodbye directly to him.

Keitaro's mind was a total blank from what he had just read. He placed the letter back on the table and went back into his bedroom. He thought about going back to bed but instead he got dressed and walked back into the kitchen. Keitaro picked the letter back up, folded it, and placed it in his pocket. He turned around, got him self a cup of coffee, walked into the living room to the front door and put his shoes on. Keitaro went for a long walk to do some thinking. He was thinking about the night before. How it felt to touch and to be touched and the feeling of someone kissing him as if they meant it. Keitaro found that although he didn't have anywhere in mind when he left, he had gone back to the park they were in the night before.

Keitaro sat down with his back against the same tree from the night before, and just looked out into the ocean. He pulled the letter out of his pocket and read it again. When he read it this second time, it dawned onto him what she didn't say. She didn't say she hated him or anything like that. All she said was that she was going back home and that he needed to do the same thing.

"Maybe I should." He thought. "Maybe it's time for me to go back to the inn. Yes, that is what I need to do. I need to go back and set things right with Naru and Motoko."

Keitaro got up, brushed himself off, and headed back to his apartment to make a very important telephone call. He was not going to just walk in on the girls without a little notice. He knew it wasn't too late to call if he hurried home.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro picked up the telephone and dialed the number for the inn. '_I hope somebody is still up.' _He thought. The telephone was answered just when Keitaro was about to hang up.

"Hello, Hinata Inn, this is Shinobu speaking."

"Hi Shinobu. This is Keitaro."

"Sempai? Is it really you?"

"Yes it is. How is everyone doing there?"

"Everyone is ok I guess. How are you?"

"I'm doing ok. In fact that is why I'm calling."

"Why is that sempai?"

"I'm going to come back to Hinata. I need to settle things there at the inn with Naru."

"Really? You're going to come back here? When are you going to arrive?"

"I'm not sure when I will get there Shinobu. It will be later this week though. Maybe Wednesday or Thursday. Be sure to tell everybody I'm coming home, ok?"

"Yes sempai, I'll let everybody know."

"Well I need to get some packing done, so I guess I will see you when I get home Shinobu."

"Ok sempai. I'll talk to you then."

"Bye Shinobu."

"Buy sempai."

Keitaro hung up the telephone and looked around to see what he needs to pack. '_I guess I'll do my laundry first.' _He thought. Keitaro grabbed what he needed and went to get things done.

(OOOOO)

Shinobu hung up the telephone and almost jumped for joy and started screaming to let everybody know that Keitaro was coming home. She decided not to because it was so late at night. Kitsune had a hard day at the teahouse and Motoko was more then likely meditating and Naru wasn't home from work yet.

Should she even tell Naru? She was the one that made Keitaro go away in the first place. Shinobu was thinking about this question as she was walking to her room. Motoko happened to catch Shinobu in the hall and asked, "Who was on the telephone this late?"

Shinobu decided to lie and said, "It was nobody Motoko. Just a wrong number."

"Was it now? Shinobu, if it was a wrong number, why are you blushing and smiling like whenever you talk to Keitaro? That couldn't have been Keitaro telling you he was coming home, was it?"

"No Motoko, your wrong." Shinobu stammered, "It was Keitaro telling me he would be home later this week!" Shinobu realized what she had just said and quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

Motoko just looked at Shinobu. "That really was Keitaro? Did he really say he was coming home this week?"

Shinobu nodded her head before looking up at Motoko and saying, "Your not planing on hurting him are you Motoko?"

Motoko stood there in shock. '_Keitaro is coming home." _Thought Motoko. Shinobu noticed that Motoko looked like she was getting nervous so she asked, "What is wrong Motoko?" this brought Motoko out of her state of shock. "Nothing is wrong Shinobu. I just need to go get myself ready." Motoko turned and headed for her room at a quick pace. Shinobu stood in the hall and watched as Motoko went to her room and wondered what Motoko was up to.

(OOOOO)

By the time Motoko reached her room she was almost running. If she had stayed talking to Shinobu any longer then she did, she wasn't sure if she could contain herself. When Shinobu told her that Keitaro had been on the telephone and that he was coming home, she felt her chest tighten up in excitement.

She went to her closet and reached to the back to get out a box she had brought home when she visited her sister. Motoko opened the box and got out the paper wrapped item. She opened the package with extreme loving care and looked at the kimono. This kimono was light green with embroidered cranes and bamboo on it. Motoko had received this kimono as a gift from her mother. Motoko's mother told her that it had been in the family for a long time. This kimono was not for formal affairs or just to be for daily use. It was for special occasions.

When Motoko left for Hinata the first time, she had left this kimono behind with her sister. She had felt that there would not be any reason to have it with her. When Keitaro had left, she felt that it might be of use when he returns so she brought it home.

Motoko hung the kimono up to inspect it in case there was any stains or holes, but it looked like it was new right from the person who had made it so many years ago. When Motoko stepped back to look at it, she knew her plan might have a good chance of working and Keitaro might not be mad at her anymore and possibly Naru too.

(OOOOO)

Shinobu went to bed still thinking about how Motoko acted. It had seemed, to her, that Motoko had almost started to smile as much as She had been when she finished talking to Keitaro. "If Motoko has a plan, maybe I should have one too." Shinobu said to herself. As she rolled over on her futon, she thought _'Maybe something special for dinner, or even something really special for dissert.' _The image she had in her mind made her blush even more then the last time Keitaro had seen all the girls in the hot springs. Still blushing she thought _'maybe I'll ware that new apron I got. It would cover everything, …almost.' _Shinobu fell asleep with a smile on her blushing face.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro had gotten a good start on getting ready to go back home. He had washed his clothes and pulled his suitcase out and had decided what he was going to take with him and what he was going to ship.

When he got up the next morning, he knew he still had a lot to do but the first thing he had to do that day was go to work and tell his boss he was leaving. He had a quick breakfast and then he started his day.

Arriving at work, the first thing he did was to go to John's office to talk to him. Keitaro sat there for about a half-hour explaining what had happened. He told John all about his weekend and he apologized for giving John such short notice of him quitting. Keitaro told John that he would finish working on the boat he was doing before he leaves so John wouldn't have to move people around. Keitaro figured it would only take that day and part of the next to finish what he had to do.

Keitaro finished the job he was working on later that day. It didn't take as long as he thought it would. He went to John's office to tell him that he was done. When he did, John told Keitaro to have a seat.

Keitaro sat down and waited while John finished on the telephone. John hung up the telephone and looked at Keitaro. Keitaro thought for a second that he might have done something wrong. John opened the center drawer of his desk and reached in pulling out an envelope.

"I'm sorry you have to leave us Keitaro," John said, "but I'm glad I hired you. You do good work and are very talented. If you ever decide to move back to this area, you will have a job waiting for you."

"Thank you, Mr. Byrd."

"Keitaro, there is a little bonus on top of your normal pay. I feel you deserve it for the work you do." John handed the envelope to Keitaro. "Thank you, sir." Keitaro said taking the envelope from John.

Keitaro got up, shook John's hand, and said his goodbye. He turned and left the office and went to his work area to gather up his things. As he was leaving, he said goodbye to his coworkers who all bid him good luck. Just when he reached the door, John stopped him again and asked for the address where he would be able to be reached in Japan. Keitaro gave it to him and saying goodbye one more time; he left the building to go home.

While walking home, he was thinking about what he still needed to do. Most of his packing was already done. He did have a couple of boxes that he still needed to ship instead of trying to take with him. _'I guess tomorrow will be the day.' _He thought.

Arriving home, the first thing he did was call a shipping company and get his boxes sent. After the shippers had come and left, he didn't have much to do. Everything was all set to go.

Keitaro tried his hardest to go asleep that night but it just wouldn't happen. He kept thinking about his arrival at the inn and what could happen. He was wondering if he would be accepted again. The one thing he was worried about the most was what would Naru do.

His alarm went off, waking him out of the light sleep; he had finally fallen into. Reaching over he turned the alarm off and got out of bed. Keitaro reached down unplugging the clock and put it in his bag. He got dressed and took care of all the necessary things one does when they get out of bed. After having breakfast, Keitaro put his bags by the front door and looked around the apartment. Satisfied he hadn't forgotten anything; Keitaro picked up his bags, walked out the door, locking it behind him, and took his first steps to go home.

(OOOOO)

Not much to say except I want to thank everybody that has reviewed this attempt at a story. I would also like to thank everybody that have been reading up to this point.

I must also apologize to everybody for any mistakes I make. I know I have made plenty of mistakes in spelling even with using spell check. In addition, I know that sometimes the tense that I write in my sound a little off, but I am not a professional writer and I did not pay attention in school. Sorry.


	8. Chapter 8

Three Little Words

Chapter 8

Love Hina and all characters are owned by Ken Akamatsu. Christina though is my own creation possibly modeled after a real person, maybe.

(OOOOO)

The flight was uneventful and very calming to Keitaro. His nerves had gotten to him at first not knowing how he would be accepted at the Inn. He figured for the most part, things would be ok.

His plane landed at four in the afternoon. Going through customs and retrieving his bags took another hour. After getting his bags, he headed towards the train that would take him to Hinata. While walking to the train he thought he had better call and let the girls know he would be there in about an hour.

Kitsune was on break from the teahouse and had come up to the inn to check the mail when the telephone rang. She answered it and was mildly surprised to hear Keitaro's voice. "How you doing sugar? Where you at?" She asked.

"Hi Kitsune. I'm fine and that's why I'm calling. I just wanted to let somebody know I'm at the airport in Tokyo and I will get to Hinata in about an hour."

"For real? You're going to be home in an hour?"

"Yeah, I figure an about an hour."

"Ok Keitaro, I'll let everybody know."

"Thanks Kitsune. See you when I get there."

"See you in a bit Keitaro."

Kitsune hung up the telephone and took off running down to the Teahouse to tell Haruka that she needed the rest of the day off.

"What happened Kitsune? Did somebody offer to take you drinking?"

"No Haruka, this is bigger then something like that. Keitaro is going to be home in an hour!"

"Keitaro is coming home? If that's the case, go on and get out of here. As soon as I close up I'll be up at the Inn myself."

Kitsune gave her thanks to Haruka and took off back up to the inn.

Kitsune was starting to put a plan together. _'Lets see,_ she thought,_ 'Shinobu said she was going to stop by the store on the way home from school. So both her and Motoko should get here anytime. Naru won't be getting home from work until ten or later so that gives Keitaro to the three of us until Haruka comes up. How am I going to surprise Shinobu and Motoko with the news?' _

Kitsune walked through the door of the inn when she had an idea. _'I know, the Hot Springs. I'll drag both of them into the Hot Springs until Keitaro walks in today._

Motoko, after having a hard day at school happened to meet Shinobu at the bottom of the stairs to the inn. Shinobu could tell Motoko was not in the best of moods but at the same time not mad at the world. After saying hi to Motoko, Shinobu suggested to Motoko that she should go soak in the hotspring as soon as they get up to the inn. Motoko replied "That sounds like a wonderful idea. You should join me also Shinobu. You look a little tired from school yourself.

"Ok, I think I will Motoko." Shinobu thought at the same time, _'this would be a good time to find out what Motoko is going to do to sempai.'_

Motoko and Shinobu walked up the stairs to the inn without saying much to each other. Shinobu was wondering how to approach the subject of Keitaro with Motoko and Motoko was trying to clear her mind of school.

When they came through the door to the inn, Kitsune was at the bottom of the stairs with her bath items. She was acting as if she had just come down the stairs when actually she had been standing there waiting on the two younger residents of the inn.

"What are you doing home already Kitsune?" Motoko asked. "I thought Haruka was going to have you close the Teahouse today."

"Haruka let me go early telling me she would close up today. Since I'm home I figured I would go and soak in the hot springs."

"Shinobu and I will join you in a few minutes then."

Shinobu went to the kitchen to put away the groceries before going out to the Hot Springs. She met Motoko, who was coming back from her room, in the doorway to the springs and told Motoko that she would be there in a few minutes.

"Don't worry about your stuff Shinobu" Motoko said, "you can use some of mine."

"What about clothes, Motoko?"

"I don't think you need to worry about that Shinobu. It's only the three of us girls here. You can just wrap a towel around yourself afterwards."

"Ok Motoko, I guess that will work."

Shinobu and Motoko went into the Hot Springs to join Kitsune.

Keitaro's ETA is 38 minutes.

(OOOOO)

Shinobu and Motoko settled into the Hot Springs with Kitsune. Kitsune looked at Shinobu and asked her, "What are you going to do when Keitaro gets back home, Shinobu?"

"I really don't know Kitsune. What about you?"

"Oh, I might give a kiss and a hug to welcome him home with." Kitsune answered trying to get Shinobu flustered, but it didn't seem to work. Shinobu responded "That sounds like a good idea. I might do that too." After that small exchange between the two of them, everybody got quiet.

(OOOOO)

The creepy longhaired guy that was stalking Naru decided that tonight would be the night. He had been watching long enough to know her basic routine. He never followed her all the way home, but he knew what direction she went in when she went home.

In the direction Naru would walk home was an ally that was hard to see at night. The opening was in a shadow and there was a dumpster sitting in front of it. The creepy guy had spotted this ally one night as he followed Naru. He stopped and went down the ally and knew it would be the perfect place for what he wanted to do. What he found at the end of the ally was what looked like at one time was a small receiving dock that was no longer being used. He checked the doors and found them locked and there were no windows at all.

He just knew things were going to go his way as he looked at the items he was going to use. In front of him was a knife with an eight-inch blade, roll of duct tape, and some rope.

It was going to be very simple. All he had to do was follow Naru until right before she gets to the ally. Then all he had to do was grab her and pull her down to the end of the ally. It was a simple plan in his mind.

(OOOOO)

Naru was really having a bad day. The depression she had been in since Keitaro left the inn had really hit her hard. All she could do was think about Keitaro. It didn't matter what she did her mind always went back to Keitaro.

Naru was wishing Keitaro were at the inn right now so she could show him how much she was really in love with him. She had decided that when and if Keitaro came back home she was going to put her arms around him and not let him go ever again.

She went to work that evening still depressed. Hero saw that Naru was really down and offered to let her go on home. Naru said to him "I'm ok. I just have been thinking about a friend of mine I haven't seen in a while but I'll be able to do my job."

"Ok, but the offer still stands. If you want to go on home you can."

"Thank you Hero san but I'll be ok."

Naru turned around and went to help a customer that seemed to be looking hard for a book. Hero watched her for a moment and then went back to checking the order that had come in that day.

Keitaro's ETA to the inn is ten minutes.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro's train ride had been uneventful. He looked out the window wondering if things had changed. He noticed nothing much had changed except it was later in the year.

When the train pulled into the Hinata station, Keitaro gathered his bags and left the train. He walked out of the station and was glad he had shipped most of his belongings.

While walking down the street, he could see the top of the inn in the distance. Just seeing the inn made him excited to be home and he started to walk faster. He reached the place where the staircase for the inn started and Haruka's Teahouse sat. Because Haruka seemed to be busy, Keitaro decided to come back down later to see his aunt.

Keitaro started walking up the staircase with excitement building with each step. When he reached the top, he almost expected to see Naru or Shinobu sweeping the front walk, but nobody was to be seen. Walking to the front door, Keitaro opened it and walked inside. In the entry, he saw three pair of shoes. He knew right then that Motoko, Shinobu, and Kitsune was home. Keitaro put his bags down, took off his shoes, and stepped into the inn walking towards the living room.

Keitaro's ETA zero minutes.

(OOOOO)

Shinobu, Motoko, and Kitsune were all relaxed in the Hot Springs. Shinobu and Motoko didn't notice that there was something new out there. Kitsune had, while waiting for Shinobu and Motoko, went to her room and retrieved a battery powered clock so she could estimate Keitaro's arrival time. She looked over at the clock and saw it was about ten minutes until Keitaro would be arriving. If luck were with Kitsune, Keitaro would walk through the front door at the same time the three of them would get out of the Hot Springs.

To get things rolling Kitsune asked, "What's for dinner tonight, Shinobu?"

"I was able to get some pork cutlets today. I think I'll cook them and also do a vegetable stir fry on the side." Shinobu answered.

"Sounds good Shinobu." Kitsune said and Motoko agreed.

"When will you start dinner?" Motoko inquired.

"I can start as soon as I get out of the Hot Springs." Shinobu replied.

"Would you please? I seem to be a bit hungry today." Motoko said.

"Me too. I'm famished." Added in Kitsune.

"Ok, I'll go start it now."

Kitsune looked over at the clock and thought _'If my timing is right, Keitaro should walk through the door any minute.'_

The three of them all stood up and got out of the Hot Springs. They went into the dressing room to dry off and since none of them brought any clothes to put on all they could do is wrap towels around there bodies to cover them selves.

Shinobu was the first one to walk out of the dressing room followed by Motoko and then Kitsune. Shinobu came to such a sudden stop when she walked into the living room that Motoko almost ran into her.

Shinobu was looking across the room at Keitaro who just stepped into the room also.

"K… K… Keitaro… Sempai!" Shinobu yelled out as she ran across the room. Shinobu was so excited about seeing Keitaro she forgot she had on nothing but a towel. When she was about to leap into Keitaro's arms, the towel she was wearing fell off leaving her totally exposed for the world to see.

Keitaro caught Shinobu but the way she had jumped at him, his face ended up between Shinobu's breasts. Unfortunately, the momentum that Shinobu had caused Keitaro to loose his balance and the two of them fell onto the floor.

Motoko, at first was about to lash out at Keitaro again for being a pervert, but the training she had been doing stopped her. She realized it wasn't Keitaro that took the towel off Shinobu. Shinobu had let it drop in her excitement of seeing Keitaro again.

Kitsune was giggling to herself at the sight in front of them. _'It should only be a couple of seconds before Motoko sends Keitaro flying.'_ Thought Kitsune. Motoko calmly walked over to where Shinobu and Keitaro were lying on the floor. She kneeled down and tapped Shinobu on the shoulder. "Shinobu, I think you need to go put something on." Motoko said. "Also, you might be suffocating Keitaro."

Shinobu loosened up her hug and noticed she didn't have her towel on any more. "Oops, I guess I better go get dressed." Shinobu started to get off Keitaro when she noticed he had his eyes closed. She bent down and kissed him on his lips. It was a soft and gentle kiss, but it was enough to make Keitaro open his eyes. When he did Shinobu said, "I'll be back in a couple of minutes sempai." and got up before he could close them again. Shinobu walked over and picked up her towel, throwing it over her shoulder, not bothering to cover herself. While walking to the staircase to go up stairs, she put a little extra sass in her walk.

Kitsune, Motoko, and Keitaro just walked her go upstairs without saying a word. Keitaro realized Motoko was kneeling beside him and instinctively went into a protective fetal position to help absorb the beating he was about to get.

Motoko saw Keitaro move from the corner of her eye. She looks at him and sees the position he has taken to protect himself. Instantly Motoko knows this is from the way both Naru and she has treated him. Motoko's heart breaks because no matter what she does or how she acts, Keitaro will always be afraid of her and she doesn't want that. She also knows she must try, so she reaches over and touches Keitaro gently on the shoulder.

Keitaro was surprised when he felt Motoko's warm hand on his shoulder instead of being beaten to death. He turned and looked at Motoko and saw her eyes starting to tear up. Keitaro started to ask what was wrong when suddenly Motoko put her arms around Keitaro's head and pulled him to her. With the way she pulled on hem, Keitaro ended up with his face squarely planted in Motoko's ample breasts. Motoko was embarrassed by her actions but was happy when she felt Keitaro put his arms around her and hugs her back.

Kitsune was standing back watching all of this. First the way Shinobu acted and the way she was shaking her ass when she went to get dressed. Now with Motoko hugging Keitaro instead of beating him for being a pervert made Kitsune totally speechless. She said to herself, "If you can't beat them, might as well join them." Kitsune walked over to Motoko and Keitaro, dropped to the floor, and put her arms around Keitaro too.

Both Motoko and Keitaro were surprised by Kitsune's actions but after the way Shinobu had acted nothing else could make things any stranger.

Kitsune and Motoko were still hugging Keitaro when Haruka walked in. "Well Keitaro," she said scaring all three of them, "looks like your stock has gone up around here." The three of them got up off the floor with embarrassed looks on their faces.

Motoko started to explain but was cut off by Haruka. "No need to explain Motoko. I think we are all happy to see Keitaro home." Haruka walked over and gave Keitaro a hug too to welcome him home.

Keitaro looked around and said, "I haven't seen Naru and Su? I haven't seen them yet." Motoko and Kitsune looked at each other before answering his question.

"Well sugar, let us go get dressed and we will tell you all about them when we get back." Kitsune said while reaching for Motoko's hand pulling her upstairs so they both could get dressed leaving Keitaro with Haruka.

(OOOOO)

Sorry about the slow update. Just haven't felt much like typing the last two weeks. Work has been a real pain in the butt. If anybody that reads this works third shift you know what I mean.


	9. Chapter 9

Three Little Words

Chapter 9

Ken Akamatsu owns love Hina. If told to, I will remove all traces of this story from the Internet and my computer.

(OOOOO)

Yes, hello. Thank you for reading this little idea I am calling a story. I know, I know Shinobu in the last chapter was way Ooc. Its just I have this vision of Shinobu that I think I got from looking at a small figurine I have. It's all ok though. This is only a story.

(OOOOO)

Warning; Things happen in this chapter that I DO NOT CONDONE IN ANYWAY OR FORM!

It had to be written this way or there would not be any point to writing this story.

(OOOOO)

Shinobu was still in her room trying to decide what to wear when she heard Motoko and Kitsune coming up the stairs. She had already put on a pair of black lace panties. Now she was trying to decide between a pair of shorts or a mini skirt. She did already know for sure that she was not going to put on a bra just so her sempai could see how well she was developing. She finally decided on the mini skirt and a white tee shirt. It was just enough to arouse anybody.

Kitsune went into her room and put on what she normally wears around the inn when she is home. She put on a pair of kakie colored shorts and a sleeveless turtleneck shirt. Motoko on the other hand didn't put on her Gi and Hakama she normally wears. She put on a pair of black gym shorts and a tank top. When she had the tank top in her hands, she looked over at the bindings she normally wears. She thought about putting it on but remembering what it felt like pulling Keitaro into a hug with nothing between her and him except for the towel, she decided not to. _'That felt…nice'_ she thought, with an embarrassed smile on her face.

Shinobu came downstairs after getting dressed to find Keitaro and Haruka in the living room talking. Keitaro was talking about the job he had while he was living in Pacifica. Shinobu sat down next to Keitaro. She sat close enough to him that she was almost on top of him.

Kitsune and Motoko came down together and walked in where everybody else was. Kitsune sat down in one of the chairs but Motoko did something that even surprised herself. She went over to where Keitaro and Shinobu were sitting on the couch. She knelt down on the floor in front of Keitaro and leaned into his legs. She sat in such a manner that if she wanted to she could put her arms around Keitaro's legs and put her chin on his knees. This pretty much brought all conversation to a halt until Motoko looked up at Keitaro and said, "We all missed you while you were gone." Both Shinobu and Kitsune agreed with what Motoko said.

For the rest of the evening, Keitaro told everybody about his adventures in America. The only thing he didn't talk about was the time he spent with Christina.

Around 9:30 PM Keitaro asked where Naru and Su were at. Kitsune answered and said that Su had decided to stay in Molmol while he was gone. She also said that she would be calling her shortly to let Su know that he had come home. Motoko then spoke up and told Keitaro about the problems with Naru. She told him about her working and going to school. Motoko then looked at Shinobu and said that Shinobu should tell him about some of the other things that happened.

Shinobu was startled that Motoko would make her tell Keitaro about her problems with Naru. At first she really didn't want to tell him but the way Keitaro looked at her she knew she had too. Since she didn't have a choice, she told him everything. She told him about slapping Naru and calling her a bitch. By the time she was finished talking, Shinobu had tears sliding down her cheeks.

Keitaro sat back and thought for a minute, then he looked at Shinobu and he let her know that he would help her patch things up when Naru gets home from work.

"Thank you sempai." Shinobu said and gave him a hug that Keitaro returned.

"What time does Naru get home from work?" Keitaro asked.

"Normally around ten or a little before. She should be here anytime." Kitsune answered.

Keitaro looked up at the clock to see what time it was.

(OOOOO)

Hero came up to Naru and thanked her for a well worked day. He also said that he hopes she was feeling better then when she first came in that evening. Naru replied that she was feeling better and thanked Hero for putting up with her. Hero bid her a good night so Naru turned around and left the store to go home not knowing what was waiting for her in the dark.

The creepy guy had put his plan into motion earlier that evening. He had sat in his room in the dark with all of his tools in front of him. At around nine, he got up, put on his coat, and placed his tools in his pockets. He walked out of his apartment to do what he had been planing ever since he first saw Naru in the bookstore. While walking to his destiny, he kept smiling to himself but there was nobody on the street to see this.

Naru was walking like she always does, head down, and not paying any attention to her surroundings. She never saw or heard the creepy guy lunge for her out of the shadows.

He grabbed a hold of Naru and threw her into the ally in such a way she couldn't help but fall. When she landed, she lost a shoe and her purse. Naru turned to see what had hit her. When she did, the creepy guy put a piece of tape over her mouth and shoved her back onto the ground. He grabbed her hands and using the rope he had brought, tied them behind her back.

The creepy guy got up and ran back to the entrance to pull the dumpster that was there in front of the ally better. He walked back to Naru and forcefully grabbed her and dragged to the old receiving dock. He threw her against the wall knocking the breath out of Naru. By this time Naru had realized what might happen to her but the only thing she could think was _'My redemption has finally come. I'm sorry Keitaro. I guess I'll never get to see you again.'_

(OOOOO)

Kitsune looked over at the clock saying, "Where is that girl? She's never this late."

Keitaro, upon hearing this said "Maybe we should go look for her?"

"Might not be a bad idea." Kitsune replied.

"Considering the part of town the bookstore is in." Motoko added.

Keitaro just looked at them and said, "what do you mean?"

Haruka was the first to answer. "She works over at that small bookstore on the West Side of town."

"The one by all the bars and rundown buildings?"

"That's the one."

Before anyone knew it, Keitaro was up and over at the door putting his shoes on. Kitsune and Haruka were close behind him. Motoko said, "Give me a minute to retrieve my sword." Shinobu wasn't sure what to do. She thought about going up and changing so she could help the others look for Naru, but with the way she treated Naru, she just didn't feel right helping look for her.

Haruka looked over at Shinobu and could tell she wasn't sure what to do. "Shinobu, why don't you stay here by the phone in case she calls? We may need to split up so we could also use a central place for everybody to keep in touch."

Shinobu agreed to what Haruka said. "It would be a good idea if somebody stayed here. I could also get some food ready for when you come back."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Keitaro said.

Keitaro, Kitsune, Motoko, and Haruka finished grabbing their shoes and coats and ran out the door to look for Naru.

(OOOOO)

Naru was pushed against the wall with her hands behind her. The creepy guy just stood where he was at looking at her, watching the fear grow in her. He saw that it wasn't growing fast enough, so he pulled out the knife with him. Naru opened her eyes and saw the long blade he held in his hands.

The creepy guy took a step towards Naru. She lashed out and tried to kick him but missed. He had stepped out of the way of her kick and gave her a reward for her effort in trying to kick him. He took his free hand and backhanded her across her face. The force of him hitting her caused Naru to see stars for a second. When her head cleared, she could feel her cheek swelling up. He leaned back in towards her and softly said, "Your not going to do that again are you?"

Because of the tape, all Naru could do was shake her head no. "Good girl. I don't want to hurt you too much this soon. Now, lets see about making you more comfortable." He reached over with his left hand taking a hold of her shirt and using the knife in his right hand started slicing the cloth. After he cut it all the way down, he pulled her shirt open exposing her skin to the cool night air.

Naru started crying again when the creepy guy reached over and started touching her. He started at her neck lightly running his fingers down until he reached the top of her bra. He watched her reaction when he ran his hand across her breast.

He could see the fear growing in Naru's eyes as he ran his fingers on her skin. The farther down he went the more Naru tried to protest. Through her gag, she kept trying to say no, please don't, and kept shaking her head no. When his fingers touched the top of her skirt he stopped and said "Looks like we need to make you more comfortable." He raised the knife and cut down both sides of her skirt. Then he cut across the front just under the waist band from left to right, removing the front of her skirt but leaving the waist band and the back in place.

The creepy guy stepped back to have a look and said to Naru, "I really like it when a pretty girl puts on nice lace panties and bras. The problem is pretty girls never look at guys like me. So maybe I should make you look not so pretty." He stepped back up to Naru, put the tip of his knife on the side of her face, and pushed a little bit. Before the knife broke through her skin he pulled it back and put it against her upper arm. He gave the knife enough of a push to slice her skin. He pulled it down her arm slowly leaving a cut about four inches long. He made sure that he didn't cut to deeply. He wanted Naru to feel what it was like to be in pain. Naru looked down at her arm. Seeing it start bleeding brought more tears to her eyes as she slid down the building to a sitting position.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro, Haruka, Motoko, and Kitsune made their way to the store where Naru is working. While walking there, the four of them were looking around hoping to find her. When they got closer to the destination, Keitaro started slowing down a little, especially as they walked past a very dark opening to an ally that had a dumpster in front of it.

Motoko turned and said, "Keitaro, what is wrong?"

"I don't know Motoko, I feel like something is calling out to me in this area."

"Maybe it is something we should look into."

"Let's get to the store first. It's not far from here." Kitsune said.

Keitaro and Motoko just looked at each other. Keitaro shrugged his shoulders and turned to catch up with Kitsune and Haruka.

The four of them reached the store a couple of minutes later just to find it locked up and all the lights out.

"What do we do now?" Kitsune asked.

"Let's split up." Haruka suggested. "There is a small park a couple of blocks over. Maybe she went there."

Keitaro agreed with Haruka but also added that he wanted to go check out that ally they passed earlier.

Haruka and Kitsune headed for the park and Keitaro and Motoko went back in the direction they had just came from.

Motoko asked, "Why did you want to go back?"

"Let's just call it a gut feeling Motoko," Keitaro could feel it burning in his belly that something was wrong.

(OOOOO)

They looked around when they arrived back at the ally but didn't see anything. Keitaro while trying to think of other places Naru might have gone leaned on the Dumpster. When he did, the Dumpster moved about a foot. Motoko looked over at Keitaro as he stumbled a bit with the movement. Motoko saw a shoe on the ground just under the edge of the Dumpster and pointed it out to Keitaro. Keitaro reached down and picked it up. Looking at it, he realized it was Naru's.

Motoko stepped closer to see for herself if it was Naru's or not. When she did, she saw out of the corner of her eye the purse lying by one of the buildings. Motoko knew Naru owned a purse like the one on the ground but the only way to be sure was to look in it.

Motoko stepped to the side of the Dumpster to pick up the purse. When she bent over, a movement at the other end of the ally caught her attention. Motoko alerted Keitaro to the movement. Keitaro looked down to the other end of the ally. At first, all he saw was somebody standing to one side looking down. Then by chance a flash of light from a passing bus lit up the ally for just a second. When it did Keitaro and Motoko saw a person sitting on the ground. Additionally, Motoko saw that the person on the ground had long hair like Naru's while Keitaro saw that the person that was standing had what looked like a large knife in his hand.

Both Motoko and Keitaro had the same thought at the same time. Naru was down there and in very deep trouble.

Without saying a word to each other, both Motoko and Keitaro took off running to help Naru. Motoko started to draw her sword until Keitaro started running in front of Motoko. Motoko had glanced over at Keitaro when he had passed her. The look on Keitaro's face reminded Motoko of her sister whenever Motoko had made a mistake while training when she was younger.

The creepy guy started to reach down and pick Naru up so he could cut her left arm as he did the right one. After that, he planned on cutting off her bra and panties and having his way with her before he decides on weather or not to kill her now or to lock her up and let her die on her own.

However, that was not be.

Right as he reached for Naru, Keitaro body slammed the creepy guy, knocking him to the ground. The momentum that Keitaro had carried him to the point that he landed on top of the creepy guy. Keitaro knew what he needed to do. First, he knocked the knife away so the creepy guy didn't have a weapon. Then he started to beat on the creepy guy.

Motoko reached the end of the ally a few seconds behind Keitaro. She saw Keitaro starting to work Naru's attacker over so she turned to help Naru.

Naru had her eyes closed so she didn't see Keitaro body slam the creepy guy. Motoko knelt down in front of Naru and pulled the tape off her mouth. When Naru felt the tape being removed, she opened her eyes and saw Motoko in front of her. Motoko asked if Naru if she was ok. Naru started crying saying; "It hurts. It hurts. I was so scared Motoko."

Motoko, by now had cut her arms free and Naru reached over and put her hand over the cut on her arm. Motoko saw the blood running down Naru's arm to her hand and dripping on the ground. Motoko cut a piece of her sleeve off to wrap Naru's wound.

(OOOOO)

Haruka and Kitsune, after arriving at the park and finding nobody there called Shinobu to see if Naru had come home. After finding out that nobody had come home as of yet, they headed back to the bookstore and followed the path back to the ally that Keitaro and Motoko was going to look into.

They arrived at the ally and heard the commotion coming from the other end. Both Haruka and Kitsune started running down the ally to help with whatever needed to be helped with. When they reached the far end, they saw Motoko helping Naru and Keitaro on top of somebody beating him to a pulp. Both Kitsune and Haruka went over to check on Naru.

When they walked up to Naru, she looked up. When she did, she saw a person on top of her attacker. Naru asked, "Was that Seta that saved me?"

Haruka said, "No, its not."

"Naru, its Keitaro." Kitsune chimed in.

With a puzzled look Naru asked, "Its Keitaro?"

"Sure is sugar."

"He came home today." Motoko answered.

In those few seconds that nobody was talking, they all realized that Keitaro was still beating on Naru's attacker. Haruka started to go over and stop Keitaro but it was Naru that moved first. She walked over to where Keitaro was and reached over to touch Keitaro on the shoulder. Naru hesitated for a second not knowing how Keitaro would act towards her. She finally put her hand on Keitaro's shoulder and quietly said, "Keitaro?"

Keitaro stopped hitting the creepy guy and looked over his shoulder to see who stopped him. When he saw it was Naru, he stood up and turned towards her. He looked at her and saw that she was partially undressed but was not trying to cover herself. Keitaro also noticed the makeshift bandage covering the wound on her arm but what he saw when he looked into her eyes was how scared she had been. Neither one of them said anything until Keitaro spoke up and said "Naru…"

When Keitaro said her name, Naru's dam broke and everything came out. All of her pain, being scared, the hurt she felt in her heart when he had left. Everything came out at once as she put her arms around him in a big hug with tears in her eyes again. The tears Naru was crying this time was from the joy of seeing Keitaro.

Keitaro held onto Naru while she continued to sob. After a couple of minutes, Naru's emotions hit bottom and she collapsed leaning against Keitaro. He felt her go limp and looked at her in concern. Haruka and Motoko rushed over to check on her. Haruka checked Naru's pulse and decided that Naru was just drained. Haruka and Motoko helped Keitaro put Naru on his back so he could carry her home.

At the same time Keitaro Motoko and Haruka were taking care of Naru, Kitsune was looking at the creepy guy. Kitsune was glad she had never made Keitaro as mad as he was that night. Kitsune saw that in the process of beating the guy that attacked Naru. Keitaro had broken the creepy guy's nose and jaw.

The creepy guy started to move around and was trying to open his swollen eyes while Kitsune was looking at him. Kitsune saw out of the corner of her eye that the rest of them were starting to make there way back to the street. She decided to make the creepy guy pay for what he did to Naru herself. She kicked him in the balls as hard as she could causing him to fold up into a fetal position. Turning around, Kitsune yelled, "Hey, wait up for me!" and ran to catch up with the rest of them.

(OOOOO)


	10. Chapter 10

Three Little Words.

Chapter 10

(OOOOO)

Love Hina is owned by Kin Akamatsu. This story is totally not for profit. And if asked, I will remove all traces of it from the internet and my computer.

(OOOOO)

Not much was said by anybody as they walked back to the inn. Naru woke up about two blocks from the inn but never asked to be put down. She was enjoying being this close to Keitaro. She enjoyed it so much; she even put her arms around him and gave him a hug.

One thing nobody thought of was to call Shinobu and let her know that they had found Naru. Even though Shinobu was mad at Naru, she didn't want anything bad happen to her.

Haruka opened the door to the inn and was the first to walk in. Shinobu came running out of the kitchen and met everybody when they came into the living room. Shinobu saw that Keitaro was carrying Naru and came over to see if everything was ok.

Keitaro put Naru down, turned around and saw how Naru's clothes was torn and cut up. Keitaro quickly turned back around preparing to be hit by Naru but it didn't happen. Kitsune stepped in between Naru and Keitaro saying "Come on Naru, let's go get you changed. Motoko would you get the first ad kit so we can redress the cut on her arm?"

Kitsune took Naru upstairs while Motoko went for the bandages. Shinobu said "I'll bring up some tea for all of you." And went into the kitchen to fix it.

Haruka looked at Keitaro and said "I guess I'll go on back to my place. It seems like you have things under control here." Keitaro followed his aunt to the front door. When they got there Haruka turned to Keitaro and asked, "Did something happen to you while you were in America?"

"Why do you ask, Haruka?"

"You just seem different. How can I put it, more grown up I guess."

"Well, I did meet a very nice girl while I was there."

Ok Keitaro, I understand. If I were you I wouldn't tell anybody about that. At least not yet. With the way the girls are acting, I think you are going to have your hands full."

What do you mean Haruka?"

"You will see. Well Keitaro I'll see you later."

"Bye Haruka."

Haruka made her way down to the Teahouse while Keitaro went back inside closing the door behind him.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro grabbed his bags and took them up to his room. He walked in and turned the light on. He turned around and noticed that nothing had changed. Walking back to where he had put his bags, he opened them and started to put his clothes away. While doing this he could here Kitsune helping Naru above him. Keitaro, upon hearing someone make some noise behind him, turned around and found Shinobu standing at his door. "Do you need something Shinobu?"

"No, not really sempai. I'm just glad you are home."

"Did things go ok while I was gone?"

"For the most part it did. There were a few problems though."

"Really? What type of problems?"

Shinobu looked down at the floor, fidgeting a little bit before she answered.

"Naru and I got into a fight. Well, it really wasn't a fight, more like an incident.

"What happened Shinobu?"

"After I found out what had happened between you and Naru, I lost control." Tears started to slowly slide down Shinobu's cheeks. "I slapped her and called her a bitch. I wasn't keeping Naru any dinner warming in the oven for her even though I knew she would be hungry when she would get home, and I wouldn't talk to her at all."

Keitaro stood where he was at with a shocked expression on his face. "Shinobu, you slapped Naru?" He asked after a few seconds. Shinobu just nodded her head and wiped away the tears. Keitaro walked over to Shinobu, put his hand on her head and said "It will be ok Shinobu. We will get things sorted out so don't worry about it."

"Thank you sempai." Shinobu said as she put her arms around Keitaro and gave him a hug. "That's why I think you are wonderful, sempai. You always know how to fix things."

Keitaro returned Shinobu's hug. Before he could release her, Shinobu lifted her head and gave Keitaro a quick kiss after which she ran into the hall, turned and said "I'll see you downstairs sempai."

(OOOOO)

Kitsune helped Naru to her room. When they arrived and went in, Naru looked at Kitsune and said "Kitsune, I was so scared I didn't know what to do."

"I know, I know Naru, I don't think any of us would know what to do. Thank god Keitaro suggested we go look for you."

"Keitaro said that?"

"Yeah sugar. After we told him what time you normally come home, he started to watch the clock."

"So, Keitaro is actually here?"

"Yes Naru. He's home."

"And Keitaro carried me home?"

"Yes Naru, he did."

Motoko knocked on the door and asked to come in. Kitsune said yes and Motoko entered carrying the first aid kit. Kitsune helped Naru out of her ruined clothing and into some sweat pants and a tee shirt. Motoko then unwrapped the bandage they had put on Naru's arm. Motoko cleaned the wound real good. After rinsing off Naru's arm, Motoko and Kitsune looked and decided that Naru didn't need to go to the hospital for stitches.

Motoko put some salve on the wound followed with some butterfly bandages. After that she covered it with gauze and wrapped Naru's arm again.

Motoko excused herself, gathered up the first aid kit and went back to her room to change. Kitsune stayed with Naru for a little while before bringing her down to talk to Keitaro.

(OOOOO)

Motoko walked into her room, closing the door behind her. She removed her ruined Hakama and Gi. Blood was such a hard stain to remove and with the sleeve being torn, she thought she would just get a new set. Motoko wondered for just a moment about what to put on when she saw he kimono.

Motoko walked over and pulled the special kimono from its hanger and pulled it onto her shoulders. She stopped dressing for a minute and thought about how a kimono was to be worn. "I'm going to do it." She said out loud to herself. She reached to her waist, put her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and pulled them off. Closing the kimono and wrapping the obi around her, she was blushing knowing she was naked under her kimono.

(OOOOO)

Keitaro watched as Shinobu ran down the stares. Still wondering about the way Shinobu seemed to have changed, Keitaro went back to his unpacking.

Once his clothes were put away, Keitaro sat down for a moment to listen to the sounds of the inn. He could hear Kitsune and Naru up above him in Naru's room. He could also faintly hear Shinobu down in the kitchen and Motoko moving around in her room. Even with the inn being peaceful for the moment, Keitaro knew things might get rocky and stormy the next few days. "Well, I might as well get things started." Keitaro said. He got up from where he was sitting and headed for the door.

Making his way downstairs, Keitaro sat down in the living room waiting on everybody else. Shinobu came in from the kitchen with a tray that had tea and cookies on it. She sat it down on one of the tables and then boldly sat herself down next to Keitaro.

Keitaro wasn't sure what to do with Shinobu sitting so close to him. He just hoped somebody else would come down to the living room so that Shinobu wouldn't do anything that both she and Keitaro would regret later.

"Keitaro?" Shinobu said turning to him.

"Yes Shinobu." Keitaro answered with a slightly nerviest gulp.

"Do you really think you can patch things up between Naru and me?"

"Well, I'm going to try. I do think it will be easier then fixing things between me and Naru."

"I don't know about that. You should have seen the way Naru was walking around here. I think she learned what it means to have lost somebody that she was close to."

"If that is the case, I might know how Naru feels." Keitaro said this with a far off look in his eyes.

Before Shinobu could ask what he meant by what he said, Kitsune walked into the room. "Naru will be down in a couple of minutes. She wanted to be alone and collect her thoughts."

"Do you think it was wise to leave her alone after what she went through tonight?" Keitaro Asked.

"She'll be ok. I trust her."

Motoko came into the room about that time. She walked over and sat down on the couch that was opposite from Keitaro and Shinobu. The three of them looked at Motoko was all at a loss for words. Keitaro thought that she looked like the most beautiful woman in the world at that moment.

Kitsune thought to herself _'Damn, she's not waiting to make her move is she.'_

Shinobu was the first one to say anything. "Motoko, you look wonderful! Why did you dress up? Where did you get such a beautiful kimono?"

"It was handed down to me by my mother, and with Keitaro coming home, I felt like putting on something other then what I normally would wear.

"You look wonderful in it. Don't you agree sempai?"

"Yes Motoko, that kimono look very nice on you.

Kitsune saw Naru coming down the stairs, got up, and went to bring her into the living room.

"How are you feeling Naru?" "Are you feeling ok?" Everybody asked when she came into the room. After that everything got quiet with nobody talking for a couple of minutes.

Kitsune spoke up first and said "Well since I have to open the Teahouse in the morning and the four of you have a lot to talk about, I think I will go to bed."

Kitsune walked over to Keitaro, bent down and gave him a hug saying "Welcome home hun." Kitsune then stood up and left the room to go upstairs.

Naru sat down in one of the empty chairs while not looking at anyone else in the room. Keitaro cleared hid throat and tapped Shinobu on the knee, nodding to her when she looked at him. She knew Keitaro wanted her to start, so she swallowed her pride, got up and went over to Naru, knelt down in front of her so she could see her better.

"Naru, I'm sorry for the way I have been treating you. Out of all of us you were hurting the most and I turned my back on you. I should have been supporting you and helping you until Keitaro came home but instead I turned into a selfish bitch and took my anger out on you. I'm really sorry."

Shinobu started to stand up but before she could Naru reached over and stopped her. Shinobu looked at Naru as Naru raised her head to look back at Shinobu. Naru had tears on her cheeks. When Shinobu saw Naru's tears, she couldn't hold back and her own tears came at will.

Naru leaned forward and put her arms around Shinobu. While Naru hugged Shinobu, Naru whispered into her ear telling Shinobu that everything was ok. Naru understood why Shinobu acted like she did.

While Shinobu and Naru hugged each other, Motoko had gotten up and moved over to sit with Keitaro. She asked Keitaro if she needed to apologize to him for what she had done in the past. Keitaro turned to her and looked her in the eye and said "No Motoko I already accepted your apology when you hugged me after I walked in today."

"Thank you Keitaro"

Motoko then reached over to Keitaro and pulled him into another hug. This time though she whispered into his ear, "Perhaps tomorrow you could join me for a walk?"

Keitaro whispered back "Maybe I can. We will just have to see."

Keitaro had finished hugging Motoko, looking over he could see Naru and Shinobu had mended there relationship. Shinobu had got up from in front of Naru and walked back to Keitaro. Bending down so she was eye to eye with Keitaro, she put her arms around him again and said, "I think I'm going to go to bed sempai. You have a good night."

"Ok Shinobu, I will."

Shinobu then proceeded to kiss Keitaro again. Motoko was unfazed by this but Naru was surprised by what happened, but it was more of a surprise that Motoko didn't start beating on Keitaro. Shinobu let Keitaro go and walked out of the room to go to her room.

Motoko turned to Keitaro and said, "I think I too will go on to bed."

She then leaned over and kissed Keitaro on the cheek.

Naru almost fell out of her chair when she saw what Motoko did.

Motoko turned to Naru right before she left the room. She looked at Naru and said, "Remember this Naru, always keep your mind open to all of the possibilities." Motoko then left the room going up the stairs with a small smile on her lips.

(OOOOO)

Naru and Keitaro were now alone in the living room. An uneasy silence had settled over the two of them. Neither Keitaro nor Naru knew what to say to each other.

Keitaro had just thought of something to say when Naru said in a whisper, Thank you for tonight. Thank you for saving me. Until you and Motoko showed up, I thought that nobody cared."

"I have always cared about you Naru."

"If you truly cared Keitaro then why did you leave me?"

"I had to Naru. I had to leave because I couldn't take the abuse anymore. I couldn't take the way you hurt me both physically and mentality."

When Keitaro said that, Naru reached up and touched her arm where the creepy guy had cut her. She started to cry again as she realized how Keitaro must have felt when his ribs broke from her kicking him. Naru started to stand up so she could leave the living room but instead her legs gave out and she fell to the floor. Keitaro was in front of her in a heartbeat. Naru looked at Keitaro with her tear filled eyes and said, "You must hate me more now then you did before you left."

"Naru, that's what I need to talk to you about. When I said those words to you, I was wrong. I was in a lot of pain and I lashed out at you and Motoko. I'm sorry I said what I did."

"The whole time I was gone, I don't think a day went by that I didn't think about you at least once a day."

Naru understood what Keitaro was saying because she had done the same thing. Naru reached over and put her arms around Keitaro's neck and pulled him into a hug. Whispering into his ear Naru said, "I'm so sorry for hurting you Keitaro. While you were gone I realized that I want you to be with me always. Keitaro, I love you. Don't give me an answer yet. I know you might not feel the same way but I wanted you to know how I feel."

Keitaro had responded to Naru's hug by returning it. Now with Naru telling him how she felt, things should be changing around the inn. First it was Shinobu and Motoko acting different and now Naru seemed to have changed.

Keitaro pulled back a little bit from Naru. Naru still had a couple of tears on her cheeks so Keitaro reached up and gently wiped them away. "Naru, its getting late" he said, "We should be getting to bed." Naru tensed up a little bit and Keitaro noticed this.

"What's wrong Naru?"

"I don't want to be by myself tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm still a little scared. Please let me stay with you."

"Ok, I guess we could do that. Since I only have one futon, I'll carry yours down to my room."

Keitaro got up and took Naru's hand helping her up. He turned off the lights and as they went to go upstairs he locked the door. They went up to the third floor where Naru's room is and gathered what she would need for the night.

Arriving at Keitaro's room, Naru walked over to the dresser and placed her stuff on top of it. Keitaro started to lay out Naru's futon and had his back to her. When he finished he stood up and turned to look at Naru. What he saw when he looked made his brain come to a complete stop. Naru was standing with her back to Keitaro. The only clothes she had on were her panties.

Keitaro immediately turned around and wondered what she was doing. _'She must still be in shock.' _He thought _'There is no way she would change her clothes with me in the room.'_

"Keitaro?" She said just loud enough for him to hear. "Why did you turn around and look away just then? Am I that repulsive looking?"

"Naru, I think you are the most beautiful looking woman I have ever seen, but it just surprised me that you would change clothes with me in the room."

"Keitaro, will you please turn around?"

Keitaro did as he was asked to do. When he did he saw Naru standing where she was before only she had turned around and was looking at him. She had not put on a shirt yet but was covering her breast with her left arm. Other then that, she wasn't trying to hide anything from Keitaro.

Naru stepped towards Keitaro stopping about an arms length away. "Keitaro, I want you to look at me." She said this as she dropped her arm that was covering her breast. Naru looked up at Keitaro, her eyes looked like they the tears would spill over any second. "Please make love to me Keitaro." She whispered to him.

Keitaro stepped over to Naru never taking his eyes from hers. He put his arms around her and pulled her to him in a hug. "Thank you Naru, but I don't think that would be a good idea right now."

"So you do think I'm repulsive."

"No Naru, I don't think that! I think you are still in shock from what happened tonight and I don't want to take advantage of you."

Keitaro let Naru go and walked to his closet. He reached in and pulled out one of his dress shirts. He returned to where Naru was standing and put it around her shoulders. At that moment the last little bit of wall that Naru had built around heart came crashing down. She knew right then that she was totally in love with Keitaro and she would be a fool to let him go.

Naru jumped at Keitaro causing him to stumble backwards and fall on his futon with her landing on top of him. There was no hesitation in her movements as she placed her lips gently on his and gave him a kiss that she should have a long time ago.

Naru pulled back from Keitaro and looked at him with a smile on her lips and stars twinkling in her eyes. "Keitaro," She said softly, "I love you more then anything in this world."

"What was that Naru?"

"I said, I love you."

"I love you too."

Keitaro then kissed Naru the way she had kissed him just a minute before.

(OOOOO)

Shinobu was in her room dreaming of her sempai. "Sempai, I love you." She said talking in her sleep as she turned over.

(OOOOO)

Motoko had just turned off her light and had gotten into bed. Before closing her eyes she said to the feeling in her heart, "Keitaro, I think I am in love with you."

(OOOOO)

Kitsune was in her room with a glass of sake in front of her. Her thoughts were mirroring those of Haruka who was down in the Teahouse. Both were thinking that somehow Keitaro had managed to get three of the girls to fall in love with him.

(OOOOO)

That's all it takes sometimes. I love you. Three little words that can be the hardest to say to somebody. But it is the words that everybody wants to hear sometimes in there lives. Keitaro has finally heard the words that he has always wanted to hear from the person that he thinks is special.

(OOOOO)

Well I guess that's it for this story. I might do an epilogue if I get around to it so for the moment I will not say that this story is complete.

Thank you for reading to the end. Don't be afraid to flame this story because I know it needs it.

By the way, just because it might look like Naru and Keitaro became a couple that doesn't mean that they are. Just a little thing for you to ponder.

Bigdave.


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